The Darker Side of Winter
by whitetigercub
Summary: "What do you want!" I shouted at her in frustration..."Not the staff, Jack."…"You."
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians. The two things I own are my story and my OC.**

 **Author's note: Hey guys! I've awoken from my deep writer's block and started another story. No I haven't given up on Frosted Freedom but I needed some time to work on other things so my brain didn't overflow with that one story, so rest assured, I will get back to it soon. Until then, enjoy my current story!**

* * *

 _ **Ella's POV:**_

I have no remorse or regret. I am incapable of feeling anything from my actions. I am the darker side of winter. I am the one who kills everything from the previous seasons and _anyone_ who thinks they can withstand me. The harsh winds bow at my will and the ice shatters and refreezes at my command. My power and purpose is great and worthy of notice; yet, I am not known. I am but a wisp of nothingness to everyone who passes near me. So why is it, when I do such great wonders, am I not acknowledged for it? Why am I not seen by the passing children; why is the credit, both good and bad, given to someone else!? They all love him of course; the spirit of fun and mischief and, yet, he doesn't have half the power or control I do. Who is _he_? Jack frost; winter bringer and spirit of fun.

It is doubtful he has ever seen me. After all, I withstood centuries more of neglect and isolation than he could ever have hoped for. Why? Why is the one who has been around for less time than me the one who is so loved? My beautiful snow was hardly ever paid respect and here comes this inexperienced boy with his childish games, being followed around by children. To say I am sick of it, would be an understatement. All of that will change very soon though. They _will_ know my name. _I am Ella, spirit of winter._

 _ **Jack's POV:**_

Adjusting to my new title is no easy task. Especially since I've gotten more physical contact in the last year than I have in three hundred years but I am easily learning day by day as I play with the children. Jamie's birthday was a few months ago and I brought an early snow to Burgess to help him celebrate. The kids all laughed and played while the adults cursed the unexpected weather. I was glad my favorite kiddo was happy but his upcoming birthday made me a bit sad. Each day he grows older is one day closer to him giving up on his belief. I confronted him on that particular subject once and he declared to the world that he'd never stop believing, but all children grow up and all move on whether they like it or not. Until such time though, I spend as much time with him as possible.

I look up at the sky to see the sun going down and leaving a bright splash of colors across the sky. I'd see Sandy doing his thing soon enough. Parents yelled at their kids to come in before it gets dark and from the corner of my eye, I could see Jamie and his little sister groaning with the usual 'do we have to?' or 'can't we stay just a little longer?' routine. I'm high enough up that not many kids would easily spot me from below. It sounds crazy but since I've been getting so much more attention than usual, I've naturally been more distant because of my lack of experience with social contact. Before becoming a guardian, I wanted nothing more than for someone, _anyone,_ to see me, and now almost every kid in Burgess and some around knows my name. I wanted contact but slowly, not in a flood, but I'm still happier than I ever was alone.

A golden tendril of light flowed passed me and circled it's way down below. Looking up, I spotted Sandy floating his way down to me, on his cloud of dream sand, with a wide smile on his face.

"Hey Sandy, how's it going?" I asked, waving at him.

He waved back and shot a series of pictures at the speed of a car.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down ok. You forget I haven't quite yet learned your language." I said with a grin at his sheepish apology.

He started off slower and slowly but surely I deciphered his words.

"Meeting at the pole?" I asked to confirm.

He nodded and headed back, extending the last of his dream sand to the remaining kids in Burgess. Why didn't North just signal us with an Aurora Borealis? Wasn't that how he usually called the guardians? I wasn't sure considering this is the first time since our great battle last year that I specifically was called to a meeting. I passed it off as some miner issue and headed my way there with the wind behind me and my staff safely in hand. I looked back towards my home and waved my staff to the sky to send a light snow for the children to play with in the morning and took off through the sky.

For a moment I felt a little excited, this being my first meeting and all. I began to list off different ways I could irritate Bunny and the sweet smell of peppermint I would inhale when I got there. These thoughts brought a bright smile to my face as I enjoyed the cold breeze and wintergreen smell of the forest below.

Part of me was also a bit worried though. North only would have called us all to a meeting if it was important. The last time he called a meeting was when Pitch threatened the children with nightmares and the guardians with war, but Sandy didn't seem too worried so I'm probably getting myself worked up for no reason. It's my first meeting for goodness sake; what could go…

My thoughts were jostled as I felt something bullet straight into my side. It felt like a stinging knife shooting pain throughout my body and I could've sworn I was going to throw up. Pain surged through my body as I found myself plummeting to the earth. I tried to slow myself but I found that the wind would not aid me in my attempts to regain control of my flying. Forcing my frightened eyes to open, I spotted the source of my problems. My staff was falling through the air just above me and my arms reached out in desperate hopes of catching it before I hit the ground. Such determination became useless as I hit the trees of the forest below me and fell to the ground with a scream of pain erupting from my lungs.

I groaned in pain as darkness clouded my vision. _No,_ I was _not_ going to fall unconscious now! I forced myself to crack one eye open and then the other to analyze my surroundings. I was in the forest for sure but, at the moment, I was in to much pain to try and figure out the details. There were various popping sounds coming from inside me and I was hoping that wasn't too bad a sign. Sunshine brightly shone through the leaves and it was all beautiful but unnerving. Why was it so unnerving? The silence. An awful silence pierced it's way around me. I couldn't hear the birds; I couldn't hear the leaves rustling; there was just… _nothing_. It was as if the forest itself were dead and undisturbed for years. Even more, it was _cold_! I am the personification of winter itself! I shouldn't be able to feel the cold! This wasn't only the kind of cold that pricked at your skin; it was also an unsettling feeling that sent shivers down someone's spine. Something was intensively wrong and there was no way I felt like staying.

I tried to sit up but every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Pain exploded through my body as I inched my way up to a standing position. My feet were shaking and started to give way but, as I nearly collapsed, I grasped a tree trunk and forced myself upright. There was an awful feeling inside me now; as if someone were watching my every move. But who could…? A sudden horrible idea found me as I looked towards the darkness.

"PITCH!" I screamed at the darkness.

There was nothing at first but slowly my ears picked up on a sound I did not want to hear. It was low; almost inaudible at first, but slowly a deep chuckle began to erupt through the silence and grow louder with each passing second. As it rose higher, it became quite clear that this was more a feminine voice. This should have been a relief but her maniac laughter made it a tad bit difficult to relax. Her laughter began to echo through the forest, as if we were in a cave instead, then suddenly die down into a voice of amusement.

"Why does he get all the credit?" The girl asked with a mock sadness tone.

"Who are you?" I asked in a low voice.

She let out an exaggerated sigh and my eyes scoured the darkness to find the source of the voice. As my eyes looked closer, I could see a pair of bright red eyes staring at me through the darkness. As the girl came closer out of the shadows, I gasped. Walking right up to me, she stared. I was looking at the red eyed female version of myself and it sent a wave of confusion and fear through me. She looked so intense; as if she were ready to rip me to shreds.

"Of course. Of course that would be the first question you ask. What did I expect?" She asked herself coldly.

Her eyes raised back to mine with sparks of hatred buried in them and I couldn't help but wonder why. I narrowed my eyes at her and silently asked her again. A slow smile spread across her face and a chill went up my spine. She looked like something out of a horror movie. She wore a bright red velvet cloak with a hood and her stark white hair fell freely in her hood with her bangs swaying over her face. Her skin was as pale as mine, if not more so. What was most scary, though, was her eyes. They practically glowed with an evil that I had never seen before. She was, dare I say it?; scarier than Pitch! She glared at me.

" _I am the cold grip of death that passes through the land each year, and the paralyzing fear that courses through the air. I send the first and last killing frost over the people to watch their devastation grow with delight in my own work_." She spoke softly, yet each word sent a horrible sensation of fear through me as she watched with delight. What kind of sick person was this, that they are willing to kill for their own delight?!

" _I am the darker side of winter."_ She finished with a cold and heartless stare.

I visibly winced. There was another spirit of winter? How old was this a thing?! I could have sworn I controlled winter alone. I forced an angered stare back at her. This girl was about my age, so why did she look like the creepiest, most evil person on the planet?! Her eyes were dark, soulless, and empty. There was no bit of emotion even remotely found.

"Okay 'the darker side of winter' what do you want?!" I spat with a bit of venom sounding in my voice but her smile only got wider.

"Attention."

This threw me for a moment. She wanted _attention_? That was it? I inhaled sharply, remembering how she practically shot me down from the sky.

"Well congratulations! You got it! Tell me, do you always shoot people from the sky to get what you want?" I hissed.

"Mmm, no, not usually." She answered, pretending to think back on it.

"Yeah? Well you've had your fun, now if were done here, I kind of need to find something I lost. Bye." I spat in disgust.

But before I could leave, she held out my staff like a trophy. I felt anger boil up inside of me. Just who did she think she was messing with?! I charged her but still being weak from the fall, she was able to successfully dodge me on each try.

"Fun, fun, now where have I heard that before?" She mocked and circled me as I continued to lunge for my staff in failure on each try.

"Oh yeeaahhh, it was your center wasn't it?" She laughed.

Oh what? So now she's a stalker or something. I grew irritated and tired as I tried to regain my weapon. Breaking the circle the girl ran away from me and sprinted through the trees. With as much energy as I could muster, I chased her, passing tree after tree. She was no doubt, much faster than me, even in my weakened state but I managed to keep her just in sight until I broke through the forest area, into a clearing. It wasn't just any clearing though. It was my lake.

Focusing out into the open, I could see her figure standing in the middle of the lake. I ran (okay tried to run) up to her until I saw her face clearly. After catching my breath I looked up at her to see my staff still securely in her hands.

"What do you want?!" I shouted at her in frustration.

"I told you, attention and I'm going to take something that will get everyone's attention." She answered.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you but the only person's attention your getting by taking my staff, is me, and don't think for a moment I'd let you take my staff!" I shot with a hateful stare but her smile widened and she came closer.

"Not the staff, Jack."

I grew confused and the wind started to whip viciously around us, as if warning me to escape but I stood firm. I wasn't leaving without my staff. She threw the staff on the ground behind her and came closer to me with a venomous smile.

"T-Then what?" I asked, mentally cursing myself for the stutter at the beginning.

" _You."_ She answered as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

I could've sworn I paled three shades whiter, if that's even possible. My heart stopped as I heard an all to familiar sound beneath my feet. The ice. The ice to _my_ lake; the lake that stays frozen year round, was cracking beneath me. I caught my breath, careful not to make any sudden movements, but the ice was nothing if not persistent. It continued to slowly crack and, as I looked up, the girl that was right in front of me not two seconds before, was safely on the other side of the lake. I wanted to scream out in anger; heck I wanted to _order_ her to refreeze the ice underneath me, but my fear soon took control of my words.

"P-Please! Please I-I'm begging you! D-Don't!" I shouted out but she slowly shook her head. I panicked. Ever since I got my memories back, I've been terrified of the idea of drowning. I passed it off before as a silly fear, since I was practically made of water, and buried the fear deep in my mind but, as each crack echoed in my ears, the fear flooded back as my legs shook under me.

"P-Please," My voice cracked with fear as the remaining ice shattered, plunging me into the lake.

At first, all I felt was a numbing sensation. It was so dark around me. Was this what death felt like? I could sense the deep abyss closing in around me. What was going on? Then it came; the cold. It was like a thousand knives jabbing into my body and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I couldn't breath, it was so dark and cold. Slowly I began losing the will to fight and a cloud of nothingness echoed throughout me. There was nothing. No fear. No pain. No thoughts. _Nothing._

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 **Author's note: I feel kinda bad considering every fan fiction I write,** _ **something**_ **bad happens to Jack. I don't know quite why, but anyways, hope you all enjoy this little one I threw together. Sorry if it doesn't seem as good as any of the others, this is my first time writing in this point of view. If it sucks too bad, just let me know in the comments and I'll consider changing it. Please review, and see ya in the next chapter** **J**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: *eyes glued to computer screen*….. "** _ **Must. continue. story."**_

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 _ **Jack's POV:**_

 _I looked into my sister's eyes, so full of fear. I wanted to just grab her and hug her close, saying everything would be all right. I wanted to comfort her but the cracking ice stood like a barrier between us. Her eyes began to water as she silently pleaded for help._

" _Jack, I'm scared." She cried._

" _I know, I know, but don't look down. Just look at me. Your going-your going to be fine."_

" _No we're not!"_

" _Would I trick you?"_

" _Yes; you always play tricks!" She shouted._

" _Okay, okay well-well not this time," I forced a laugh. "I promise, you're going to be fine. You have to believe in me"_

 _She visibly relaxed and let out a trusting sigh. I was about to try and say suggest something fun to help her calm but the ice crackled again and my breath caught in the back of my throat. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, taunting me. First came the rapid cracks, then the high pitched scream calling my name. Terror coursed through my veins as she plummet into the water._

" _N-no" I whispered under my breath with tears falling mercilessly. She-she couldn't be. I scrambled towards the edge of the broken ice and searched for any sign she was still alive, but the water refroze around it._

" _N-no, NO PLEASE!" I screamed._

 _The moon's rays grew dark and clouded as if accusing me._

" _You lied to me." A voice whispered from behind and I instantly recognized it as my sister but, when I whipped my head around, I got something much more unpleasant. Her body was tinted with frost and her skin was half frozen. She stared straight into my soul with hatred and fear and pure white eyes. I was ready to scream but something felt as if it were squeezing my lungs and lighting me on fire. I tried to make a noise, anything, to call for help but all that came out were tears and looks of pure horror as hands grasped my throat, trying to choke me to death._

" _I TRUSTED YOU!" She screamed, ignoring my desperate need for air._

" _You said it would be alright! You said you wouldn't trick me this time! You LIAR! I HATE YOU!"_

 _Each word tore me apart and, despite my current situation, I still wanted to run to her and tell her I was sorry. She was right. I had failed her; I'd promised._

' _Murderer.' It echoed repeatedly in my mind. The hands let go of my throat; sending me falling to the ground, gasping for air. The voices in my mind wouldn't stop. They continued on and on until I wasn't sure if it was somebody else's voice or my own. Covering my head with my hands, I tried to block them out and did the only thing I could do. I waited._

 _ **Still Jack's POV:**_

I could hear a scream echo through the room I was in and, in my hazy state, it took a moment to realize the horrible ear piercing sound was coming from my throat. Nightmare; I had a nightmare. My first thought was that Pitch was back; then slowly my mind began to recall the previous night and… _her_. The cold stare of hatred and evil itself that she bore into me was still in the back of my mind. It was painstakingly obvious she was out of her mind or just really desperate. Why she wanted me, I still wasn't completely sure and I really didn't want to know. Everything looked blurry in front of my eyes so I rubbed them and I shifted to a sit position to get a better look at my surroundings.

As my vision cleared, it became more than obvious that this was in no way a lair like Pitch's but I wasn't sure how I'd gotten the nightmare then. It was like an ice cave, with light shining through the walls in several soft shades of blue. It was actually…beautiful; but my wonder was short lasted when I noticed the large sharp icicles sticking out of the floor and ceiling like teeth, trapping me and serving as a 'friendly' notice that I was being held prisoner right now.

"Well, took you long enough." An unfortunately familiar voice spoke from the other side of the room.

I felt rage filling my whole body as I looked her direction so I was surprised when she stepped towards me with no hesitation what so ever. She looked at me with a smirk similar to what I normally have, only a bit more sinister, and knelt down right in front of the bars of ice. _Seriously,_ she wasn't even the least bit afraid I wouldn't just reach through the bars at her?! For some reason I didn't though; I was so angry I didn't know what I wanted to do or say.

"You were asleep for three days straight you know." She teased in a fake sing-song voice; no doubt just to get on my nerves.

"YOUR GOING TO LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW OR-" I began to scream but she easily cut me off with a 'shhh', putting her finger on my mouth and, immediately, I realized why. The ground began to shake beneath us and deep rumbling noises went off around us as a few icicles in the cave fell and shattered on the floor. After a few moments, it stopped and she looked back at me.

"You'll wake up the mountain." She whispered.

I breathed heavily; partly from the momentary fear that the mountain would collapse over us and partly to keep myself from screaming at her _again_.

" _You_ , You have absolutely no idea what your doing."

"Coarse I do. I'm standing here while you think up several offensive things to say to annoy me."

I wasn't sure what he hated more; the fact that she was comfortable in stating her actions without sugar-coating it or that she knew exactly how I defended myself when my staff wasn't in my hands.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked coldly.

"I'm fairly sure we discussed that at our last friendly meeting. Have you forgotten already?" She asked with mock sadness, placing a hand over her heart(or whatever's left of it).

"I mean your _name_ , stupid" I spat.

Instead of glaring at me or getting angry, like I'd hoped, she just turned to me with a wide smile.

"Ella, stupid. Why do you care what your kidnapper's name is?"

"So the guardians know exactly who they're going to beat up when they come."

"You mean _if_ they come?" "I've been keeping an eye on all of you for a while now and none of them have even noticed your mysterious disappearance. It's almost exactly like things were before you were a guardian." She laughed.

How dare she?! She has no right to say that to me, whether it's true or not! I glared at her in a mix of anger and annoyance and she laughed at me.

"Oh, you know things are getting bad when I'm the one annoying you. Either way, I suppose you'll want to be alone with your thoughts for a while, hmm?"

I tried to come up with some sort of quick, witty response, knowing that my frustration and anger was practically fueling her to continue but, for some reason, it seemed that no matter how I acted or what I said, she was perfectly content. Was she this desperate for attention that no amount of insults would faze her?! She seemed even more determined than the Boogieman was during our great battle, except she wasn't trying to kill me… _yet_.

"I don't know if you're crazy or anything but you're just like Pitch!" I spat in anger.

In an instant, she let out a shaky breath with silent anger showing clear as day. There it was; I finally hit a nerve. I was having a momentary celebration in my head; but then she slowly came forward and knelt down in front of me while gripping the bars so hard that you could hear the cracking from inside the thick ice. Her bright crystal blue eyes began to bleed a deep red and glow, sending me trying to back up as far away as possible, only to realize I already had my back against the wall. For a moment she just stayed there, glaring at me, and, just when I thought she wasn't going to do anything, her hand snapped out and grabbed the front of my hoodie. My breath hitched in my throat as she yanked me forward with a force I had never experienced before, much less from a thin girl who appears rather weak at first glance. I stared at her wide-eyed and struggled to break her grasp; but she only yanked me closer, until I could feel her icy breath on my skin. I breathed heavily from the sudden shock and tried to push down all my fear, not wanting to give her the satisfaction, though I was sure I was practically radiating with it by now.

"If you _ever_ say anything like that to me again, then believe me when I say that death will be the least of your worries." She hissed.

She let go of my hoodie and I backed away from her as far as I could. When Sandy was angry, his eyes would dangerously glow with fury; but not in a million years would they be so filled with hate and fury as hers. Finding my courage, I narrowed my eyes and stared at her but she was easily the more intimidating at that moment.

"If you don't want me saying those things to you then don't say them to me! Besides, I believe you are the one who kidnapped me. I think I have a right to be angry and you should be grateful that's all I said to you cause I would have said so much more. You deserve it to-mmph!" I was cut off when something oddly familiar came over my mouth.

 _Ice_! She gagged me with ICE! She glared at me with a more subtle hatred than before and I easily glared back, seeing as how she took out my primary weapon…with my own element no less! I clawed at it but the more my fingers touched it, the more frost would creep on it, from my fingers, and harden it.

"I think I've had enough." She said coldly and walked out of the room, leaving me with nothing but the echoing silence of the cave.

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 **Author's note: Hello fanfictioners! Please comment and let me know what you think. I had fun with this chapter but I'm still feeling a bit guilty about taking away Jack's one and only defense, with his own element no less, but, hey, the story must go on! Or something like that.**

 **Jack: I hate you! Stop making bad things happen to me!**

 **Me:*Curls up in corner and cries***

 **Ella: How dare you make my sister cry! *eyes turn blood red***

 **Jack: N-no please!** _ **I'm sorry**_ **! *tries to get away***

 **Ella: You will be!**

 **Me: o.o**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Thank you for any reviews and for reading. Please ignore the muffled complaining in the background. Ella may have tied Jack up and stuffed a bunch of cookies in his mouth to keep him quiet o.o….. I am not responsible for anything.**

 **URGENT! BETA NOTE: This is the aunt, and beta, of the author. This is an over all response to the reviews posted for this story. In response to the comments about grammar issues, I use the author's writing as a teaching example for her, so not all grammar is caught; also, some grammar issues may be differences in opinion. This having been said, if you notice grammar issues, please point them out specifically (as in approx paragraph, etc.) and GENTLY as to enhance her learning experiences. *evil grin*.**

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 _ **Bunny's POV:**_

Warm? Why is Burgess, of all places, warm in the winter?! Where is that bloody show pony anyway? There hasn't been much snow anywhere in the world. You'd have _thought_ he would at least be semi-responsible with his winter duties (not counting his several attempts to pester me by freezing the warren). I still remember Mother Nature's fury when she burst into the Pole. She was _not_ happy in the slightest about the lack of snow. Even the North Pole, while still cold, seems to have been lacking its usual snowfall and blizzards. We've been searching the whole day so, when we finally find Frostbite, he'll have quite a bit of explaining to do, primarily to his boss.

I can't even express how irritated I am right now, considering I can't even seem to pick up his scent (which is highly unusual for a great tracker such as myself). It's almost as if he disappeared from the face of the earth entirely! North says this is not like Jack and so he must have a very good reason but what reason could the little bugger possibly have to neglect bringing snowfall for a whole three days?!

"BUNNY!" A yell rang in my ears and I instantly recognized it as Tooth. She didn't seem very happy.

I darted towards the yell and found her standing above something. She turned to look at me, with a partly worried expression, and stepped away from it so I could see the entire body. It was a _Nightmare_. My body shook with anger; if that blasted shadow was the cause of Frostbite's disappearance, then he was going to pay dearly and, judging by Tooth's new expression, I could tell she was thinking the same thing.

"Come on, we need to go warn the others." I said quickly, disappearing into one of my tunnels.

* * *

 _ **Ella's POV:**_

Just like _Pitch_?! How dare he say that! He's never even met me; even if my first impression wasn't the best, he can't say something like that when he doesn't even know who I am. Turning to the wall, I shot an icicle out in a burst of anger and the mountain rumbled in response. Why am I angry? I should be in there annoying the living daylights out of him. Why am I letting his words get to me; I shouldn't be capable of feeling _anything_?! Still, I think I may have irritated him enough with taking away his speech. That had to have ticked him off badly. Even with his multiple insults, it felt nice to finally talk to a living being after thousands of years. My biggest question is why could _he,_ of all people, see me? Now most people would say that it is because we're both spirits, but that's not always the case. He thought a few centuries without anyone but other spirits was horrible; not even other spirits can see me! But not for long. I don't care if I have to freeze the whole planet! They will see me! I don't care if they hate me with all of their being by the end of this! . .ignored!

I remember when I first realized he could see me. It was so long ago; I was walking through the forest near his lake(which, at the time, I had no idea was his). I looked so different then that it's doubtful he would remember me. He was walking towards me with his head down; he looked awfully angry but I paid no mind, expecting him to walk right through me. I hadn't bothered moving out of the way; it had happened so many times before that I became rather desensitized to the horrible empty feeling that consumed my body when someone past through me like a ghost. When he walked right into me, we both fell to the ground with a thud. I was so shocked that I'd barely had enough time to register what had happened. He quickly got to his feet with a huff and glared at me on the ground.

 _ **Conversation flashback:**_

" _Watch where you're going!" He yelled._

" _Y-you c-can see me?!" I stuttered and, while his expression softened, he still had a look of anger._

" _You're new, aren't you?" He stated in a rather irritated tone. I was about to protest, saying that he was the first person to see me in thousands of years, but he cut me off._

" _Word of advice; no one will care, so don't waste your time caring about others." He stated coldly and, with that callous statement, the wind took him and I was alone again, with his words echoing in my head._

 _ **End of flashback:**_

While I still don't care about him in the slightest, I feel I should thank him. He has no idea how much his words changed my perspective on people. He was right; they don't care and they never will. Just that one sentence saved me so much heartache and time in my life. I plan to tell him at some point or another, but I should probably let the majority of his anger subside before I confront him again. Not that he'd care about his unknown deed but I might as well thank him for it anyway. After our short little conversation, I began watching him more than anyone else. At first, I thought he was exactly like me, only that he hadn't had to endure this cruel fate as long as I, but then I slowly realized that other spirits could see him. He felt lonely and isolated and, while I understood that, I wanted to slap him and tell him how blessed he was that at least someone could see him. I tried to tell myself that it wasn't a major difference and that I still wasn't alone with my fate, but then he had his little fiasco with Pitch and became a guardian. He got all he ever wished for and that made me _really_ angry. I had screamed out at the moon for several hours after that, though I was certain that, if other spirits couldn't see me, the moon probably couldn't either.

I didn't even have a name when I first woke up. He had so much more than me just by having his _name._ After so many years, I couldn't stand having nothing to hold on to so I came up with my own name. The Romans, a long time ago, actually believed winter was in the personification of a girl who was doomed to an eternity of isolation, so they called me Sola, which is Latin for lonely. I hated it. I didn't want to believe I would always be alone, so I came up with my own name, Ella. It was still close to Sola but it sounded cheerful and fun, so I kept it.

A few weeks after Jack became a guardian, I decided enough was enough. I wouldn't tolerate it any longer; so I made up my mind right there that I would do anything in my power to get the other spirits' attention…and it worked. The first to realize he was gone was Mother Nature of course, considering she's the one who keeps all the seasons in balance all over the planet and snow was lacking all over the globe. The first people she would get to go looking for him were the guardians. I didn't want to attract their attention too fast to me, so I made a little trip to Pitch's lair while Jack was still unconscious and silently snuck a few Nightmares out. Not that that idiot would have even seen me taking them because, one, none of the other spirits could see me, and two, he was too busy plotting his revenge and wallowing in his defeat. He wouldn't stop muttering to himself and he constantly paced the room in anger.

Just as I'd expected, the instant one of the guardians laid eyes on those brainless creatures running around, they blamed Pitch. I wonder what he'll think when he gets an unexpected and _very_ unwanted visit from them. I want to make sure that Jack's hope in the guardians would be crushed. Once I get rid of his hope, then I can really get in his head. He's the one I blame most; though I'm not sure why, other than the fact that he left me in the dark that fateful night, showing he didn't deserve what he had now and he _still_ got that and more. He doesn't deserve to be seen.

I calmed my breathing and stood there, alone, as usual. I thought that it wouldn't matter how much he insulted me as long as I was getting interaction but, as soon as his cursed insult left his lips, I felt like I was going to tear him to pieces. It left a painful stab inside me that I thought I would never feel again because of all the walls I had built to block out the world; I was _wrong_. I'm fairly certain that he's never going to say anything like that again, if he knows what's good for him.

The wind blew around me soothingly to say everything was alright. I know the wind is no real living being but its all I ever had so I cherished it like a friend. The wind is his friend too; it's how we both fly. It makes me feel odd to know someone else can do all the things that I can, though I'm sure he doesn't have half the control I do, still, even after three hundred years he didn't do half the _damage_ I did. Despite everything, he still loved the children he protected.

At that moment, I began to feel an odd feeling inside. Was-was that… _guilt_?! I pushed it down but, out of wonder, I silently walked down the hall and glanced around the corner to where he was. He sat there twiddling his thumbs(probably out of sheer boredom) and lightly banging his head against the wall behind him. He'd given up on trying to get the gag off hours ago but every now and then he would pull on it to see if there was any chance it had weakened. I watched him curiously. He didn't seem to be able to sit still for two minutes; it was almost as if he had a hidden store of energy ready to run, jump, and play at any moment, or, in this case, get away. I wish there was a chance he could understand how I feel, but he said so himself. No one will ever care, and that probably includes him. I've based my actions and life on those words. He shifted every two seconds and did anything he could to avoid just sitting there doing nothing. Even without his staff, he made drawings in the frost on the ground, causing pictures to pop out and dance around for his delight . He even tried to use one to go message his friends but my magic easily cut that off. Immediately as it exit the cave, I caused it to burst apart into snow.

As I watched him, I let out a very quiet sigh but, much to my dismay, he picked up on the sound, eyes darting in my direction. What started as a very bored look turned into a hateful glare and immediately I went back, pretending that nothing had happened. I wasn't sure why but I wanted to do something, _anything,_ to get that horrible look off his face. Maybe if…maybe if I let him out and take the gag off. There's absolutely no way he'd be able to get in or out without me willing the force field around the mountain to go down. It hides everything from the outside and keeps everything contained on the inside, so I wouldn't need to worry about that. As for the gag…I'll do my best to ignore that but if it gets too bad it can always go back on. The silence is already starting to kill me when I know there's someone I could be talking to. _Maybe_ …it won't be so bad. _

* * *

 _ **Jack's POV:**_

I can't really tell anymore just how long I've been sitting here doing ABSOLUTLY NOTHING! I hate being in small restricted spaces, one, and, two, I hate not being able to just randomly spout comments to, if nothing else, irritate the cruel witch down the hall. I sent one of my frost creatures out to get help but, judging by the empty feeling I got just after it left, I can guess she probably destroyed it. I've been subconsciously playing with my fingers and hitting my head on the wall so much I'm starting to give myself a headache.

I moved into a different position, _again,_ to keep myself comfortable until I heard a light sigh. I snapped at the sound, with my eyes quickly darting around in case it might be one of my friends coming to find me, but, _of course_ , it was just the one person I wished I'd never have to see again. I glared at her and her eyes widened in the realization she'd been spotted before she withdrew from her spot and retreated back down the hall. Was she _watching_ me? Of course it's normal to check and make sure your prisoner was still there from time to time but it seemed like she had been standing there for a while before I actually noticed her. Despite her annoyance and threatening temper, I couldn't help but wonder why there was a flash of sudden panic in her eyes that she had never shown before. She was scared that I'd seen her and that was the last thing I expected from 'the darker side of winter', based off her previous actions. She was practically evil; at least she seemed practically evil in the few times we talked before she gagged me.

I couldn't get my mind off of what she'd said earlier; about things being nearly the same as they were before I was chosen for my role in protecting the children. None of the others really had time for me because they were so busy with their own jobs, and I'm the only one out of the group who's job doesn't require me to constantly have my focus directed on one thing. I have the children though and they play with me all the time, but they're all going to grow up at some point and forget me. I know it'll happen but it still makes me feel a bit empty inside. I remember confronting Jamie on the matter because he kept commenting one day that I didn't seem as happy as usual and, of course, he denied that it would _ever_ happen. Either way, I'm glad I have him… _for now_.

Suddenly I felt the gag dissolving into water, though what startled me more was when the bars in front of me did the same. I looked around for any sign of Ella but she wasn't in the room. Maybe this wasn't supposed to happen, maybe there was a flaw in her magic. Just in case, I got up as quietly as possible and started to search for two things; my staff and an exit. She was only able to get me easily last time because she got my staff. This time, it would be a different case.

The halls were long and numerous; I wasn't sure I would be able to find my staff or an exit in time. I came to the fifth hallway and walked till I was led to a dead end… _again_. I let out a sigh and turned back around but was stopped short when I ran right into something, or, most unfortunately in my case, someone. She looked down at me with a glare. _Great_ , there went my chance of getting out; but I wouldn't go down without a fight so I shot to my feet and balled my fists, ready to dodge her attacks…that…never came. Instead she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, as if this was the most hilarious thing she'd seen all day, and stood there, staring at me.

" _Wow_." She stated sarcastically. "That was…pathetic."

"What, no demonic tantrum?" I mocked.

"Why would I throw a fit at something I did?"

I stared at her for a moment, trying to process what she'd just said. _She_ let me out?! Why, why would she do that? This had to be a trick; she's waiting for me to let my defenses down so she can drag me back with no trouble! She wouldn't have just let me out for no reason. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, so I got the most important out of the way first.

"Where is my staff?" I demanded.

"Like I'd tell you." She stated plainly.

Without waiting for me to reply, she turned away and headed back down the hall. In irritation, I did the dumbest and most ineffective thing I could do at that moment; I threw a snowball at her. It was as if time slowed down and I watched the snow glide through the air toward her. She turned at the sudden swish of air she heard and it hit her. I hadn't expected it to happen so perfectly but there she was, with a half shocked, half unreadable expression on her face as she slowly calculated what happened. For a moment, she just stood there, then, slowly, she started wiping the slushy substance off her face with what looked like a forced smile.

"What was that?" She asked, giving me a look that said 'you've got to be kidding'.

"…"

She glared, waiting for an answer.

"…snowball?"

* * *

 **Author's note: hey! I'm happy with all the reviews! So cool! Also, after I am finished with my two ongoing stories, I will be starting a series of one-shots.**

 **Jack: No it *spits out remaining cookie crumbs*… isn't!**

 **Ella: Oh, get over yourself!**

 **Me: Thanks for the support Ella, but I was fine.**

 **Ella: No you weren't, He was a jerk.**

 **Me: No really, I…**

 **Ella: Shut it!**

 **Jack: o.o**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sandy's POV:**

To say I was angry would be a major understatement! I'm practically furious! First, Jack's disappearance and then the multiple nightmares running around. If Pitch was trying to keep a low profile with this, he wasn't doing a very good job. Everyone is headed down to his lair with weapons ready and alert. It's one thing to let nightmares on the loose but, when you mess with one of our own, things don't end pretty. North and I have already agreed that we will stay and fight Pitch while Bunny and Tooth search for Jack, if necessary. Pitch will regret ever having taken him in the first place. We hadn't expected him to strike so soon, but, with that, we're also assuming he is still rather weak. He must have been awfully desperate to mess with us this early and assume he could get away with it, but there is also the idea that he is just trying to irritate us. He would be that crazy.

I looked over sympathetically at Bunny; despite the situation at hand, he still looks like a sick dog leaning over the sleigh. No matter how hard he'd tried to convince North that his tunnels would be better, North insisted that the sleigh would be faster as a group. Bunny never was one for heights in the first place but the speed of the high powered sleigh made it much worse for him.

We finally descended onto the lake near Pitch's hideout and walked forward to it. Just as suspected, a new hole was dug out where it had closed in before and, without hesitation, we jumped in to the hole with all our senses ten times more alert than usual. The dark chasm extended several miles with several different paths stretching out to unknown places. Either one of them could be anywhere and _that_ was unnerving. I extended tendrils of my dream sand to provide enough light to walk without bumping into things or getting lost. My eyes scoured the area carefully; this place could definitely use some fixing up. I laughed in my head; that was probably what Jack would have said. _Jack_ ; if he is injured in any way, the Nightmare King won't live to regret it. Just to my side was Tooth; I'd never seen her so angry before. For some reason, people assume that, just because she's a girl, she cries a lot or is weaker than the rest of us. This is _not_ the case. The Warrior Queen looked like she could easily rip Pitch to shreds right now.

" _YOU_!?" An unmistakably familiar voice practically screeched through the darkness and sent all of us on a higher alert, if that's even possible, but there was something about the way he sounded that seemed almost as if he hadn't expected us at all.

"That's right ya bloody rat bag! Show yer self!" Bunny shouted in the direction we _assumed_ the voice to be coming from but our senses were deceived when the man of shadows appeared behind us with ease.

"Now what do I owe the displeasure of _your_ company?! As if turning my own army against me wasn't enough; now you come to boast your victory in front of me?!" He hissed. Something wasn't right; normally he would be ridiculing us about being able to kidnap one of our own but, right now, our visit seemed to have only angered him.

"Vat have you done with him?!" North pointed his blades as a warning.

"Done with who?" Pitch asked in a rather irritated manner.

"You know exactly who! Where's Jack?!" Bunny was growing impatient.

We'd all half expected him to do some sort of creepy laugh or mock us in our anger; instead, he turned with anger and distaste but most of all, though it was hidden, confusion. Did he really have nothing to do with our new member's disappearance? It seemed highly implausible; all the evidence pointed right at him, but at the same time, he didn't seem to have a clue what we're talking about.

"Ah, I see. The moment your winter brat decides he doesn't want to be near you bunch of fools, you come to blame it on the one person who, _for once_ , has nothing to do with it. Real smooth, _Guardians_. How are you doing your job if you can't even protect Frost?" He chuckled with amusement.

The comment struck me like I'd just been slapped in the face; not because it was a lie but because it was true. We'd only started to acknowledge him recently. We were supposed to be protecting children and, even if he was a spirit and a teenager, he still fell under our responsibility. Shame filled my heart but I dared not let it show in the face of my age old enemy. Giving him the satisfaction was the last thing I wanted to do. Looking around, I could tell the others were just as effected by the remark as I was.

"You expect us to believe that the nightmares you sent out and Jack's sudden disappearance happening at the same times are just a coincidence?" Tooth questioned with her arms crossed.

The Nightmare King turned with a very bewildered look and it became rather clear that he hadn't had any idea what we were talking about.

"What?" He asked in a low tone. "What do you mean _my nightmares are out_?!"

Despite how sly and evil he can be, Pitch _never_ played stupid with anything. It was more a matter of pride on his part. More importantly, he would never deny his own actions for fear of making himself look desperate. We all stood silent for a moment in thought. The Nightmare King really didn't know anything so this trip was basically all for nothing. We were only wasting valuable time searching for our winter guardian in a place he never was, but then why was all evidence pointing to Pitch? This only made our seemingly rude entrance more awkward than it was originally supposed to be. We were awfully quick to judge, based off of the little evidence; more than likely because of our history and dislike for him. What were we supposed to do now? Here we were in _his_ lair, falsely accusing _his_ actions. This was more than enough to start up an unwanted and unnecessary war. After our opponent's long pause of thought, he glared at us.

" _Get out_!" He hissed.

"Make us!" Bunny shouted in a childish manner, and stepped forward, but Tooth put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Bunny; he doesn't know anything." She said sternly.

We all cautiously turned around but I never took my eyes off the enemy and neither did Pitch. He didn't seem all that angry if he was letting us go without a fight but it was more than likely the fact that he never wanted to see us again. North opened a portal to make our departure quicker and each person stepped in before me. I was last and, as I stepped up to the portal, I looked at him one more time with a stern look and tipped a cap in farewell. He narrowed his eyes at the unexpected gesture, as if he was missing something in my message, and I stepped through the portal.

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

Do you want to know what you get when you throw a snowball at a girl with a short fused temper and similar, if not identical, powers to you? If you guessed getting buried in a seemingly endless heap of snow, you are correct! Ok, so maybe a snowball wasn't my best choice of weaponry but it was all I had! Even with her kidnapping me, I still have this weird feeling about the idea of hitting a girl, which Tooth would be likely to punch my tooth out if she heard me say that aloud. The one thing that makes me, dare I say it, _jealous_ of her powers is that she doesn't need a conductor for them. I cant do much without my staff and there she is, effortlessly piling countless feet of snow over me. Something that makes her a bit more dangerous is how easily her moods change. She can go from releasing you from a cage with calmness, to an all out rage that would send the Nightmare King himself shaking in a corner. Or…maybe that's an advantage! Maybe I could just get on her good side and persuade her to let me go! As soon as this thought went through my mind, I frowned. Since when did I sound so desperate? The thought in and of itself sounded more pathetic in my head than I'd meant it to. I groaned and fought my way through another pile of snow that had collapsed over me. Being a winter spirit, you would think that I might at least have _some_ sort of ease trying to dig myself out of here, and yet, I seem to have no such luck. I can't even tell where I am anymore! For all I know I might have dug myself all the way to the other side of the mountain by now! My arms have long since grown tired of digging and the worst part is that I could end it all with just three words; 'I give up'. I won't deny that I have more than once considered uttering those horrible words but being, well, _me,_ I haven't said them yet out of stubbornness and pride. I won't give her the satisfaction if it's the last thing I do! Which…it might be. I never thought I'd be so _sick_ of seeing snow! The one thing that has kept my anger under control is the occasional cuss word that would slip past me and other words that Tooth, under normal circumstances, would have washed my mouth out with soap for saying but I didn't care; I was practically choking on my own element by now! Almost every time I gasped for breath because of how fatigue I was, some snow would fall into my mouth and cause a coughing fit. I can't even see anything but the color white, white, and more white in front of me! At least the cold isn't the problem in this situation. If I could feel the cold, I would have undoubtedly died by now. I could hear laughing and I could tell she was close, if not right above me right now; I just couldn't see her and _that_ was irritating.

"Oh yes, cause this is _so_ amusing!" I spat through the snow.

"Yes, actually it is." She confirmed in a suspiciously cheery manner.

"Glad I could entertain you!" I yelled but was careful not to yell too loud in an effort not to repeat the events of earlier when the mountain felt like it would collapse, rock, snow, and all.

"It could all end with just three words." She said in a sing song voice.

"I'll collapse of exhaustion before I say any such thing!" I answered though my gut seemed to say something more like ' _Why can't you just swallow your stupid pride and say it you moron?!_ '

She sighed dramatically and, though I couldn't see her, I could tell she was looking down at the snow with a look of 'disappointment' on her face.

"Fine. I'll come for you tomorrow." She said casually and, before I knew it, my mouth was speaking before my brain could process what it was saying.

"W-Wait! No… _fine_ , I-I give up!" I said through gritted teeth.

 _Wow_ , that sounded even more pathetic aloud than it did in my head. Why, why does she take pleasure in others negative emotions!? I could practically feel her smile through the snow and it angered me more than Bunny had with his insults when he confronted me about the blizzard of sixty eight that just so _happened_ to fall on his holiday. I felt the snow around me melt into water. Note: another thing she can do that I can't. As soon as it was all gone, I looked around me. I was in some sort of throne room and she was sitting in her throne, with her feet hanging over the edge of the side, and had a smirk that was so similar to mine, it made me want to slap it right off her face. The only reason I didn't was the fact that I was way too tired at the moment. If a meager snowball to the face made her snap, I would hate to see what she'd do to me if I slapped her.

"So, what do you think of my home?" She asked while twirling a snowflake around her hand.

"Simply fascinating." I stated dully.

I looked over to see a bunch of windows to the right and left of me. They were definitely too small for me to try and escape out of but large enough to see that it was already night time wherever I am. Its not like I could fly out anyway if this… _girl_ didn't show me where my staff was. She seemed like any normal human being on the outside but she had a monstrous side to her that could be brought out at any moment. When I looked back she was right in front of my face with a very serious look. I jumped back in shock at how close she was able to get in such a short glance without me noticing or hearing her. She continued to stare at me with cold and empty eyes boring into my soul.

"Why you?" She said in a voice barely audible enough for me to hear her.

"What?" I asked but she didn't answer; only continued to stare at me.

Her stare was as unnerving as the idea of Pitch defeating us and taking over the world and that's really saying something. Finally I grew irritated at the silence and asked again.

"What do you mean 'why me' ?" I asked louder.

"Why were you asked to become what you are?" She replied dryly.

Wait? Is this what she meant when she said she wanted attention? Is she doing this for the exact same reasons as Pitch? Great, we have to deal with _this_ again. Only problem is that she took a different approach on it. Does she seriously expect that the Guardians will give her what she wants for _my_ sake? I never saw it; she's actually jealous of what I have now. I started laughing, which was a bold move on my part but I couldn't hold it in and she narrowed her eyes at my response.

"You're jealous of me?!" I laughed. "I'm like a third wheel, I died and rose without my memories, and I can never live a normal life! Bunny probably hates me, North and Sandy don't know me, and the only thing Tooth cares about is my teeth. I rose from a lake with nothing, no memories, no family, _nothing_! You seriously want to have what I do?" I asked laughing more than I was before but it was cut short when I felt a hand slap me straight across the face mercilessly. I stumbled back a few steps rubbing my cheek which was stinging like it had been electrocuted.

" _You're so ungrateful_!" She hissed.

Un-ungrateful?! I wanted to question her on her meaning of the word 'ungrateful' but she continued to speak before I got a chance to even open my mouth.

"You had something that I would have cherished if I got! You had a name! You had so much more than me just by having your name! I had to make one up just to feel like I was real! As for the spirits…you're the only spirit that's ever been able to see me! I don't care about harming the kids, I just want someone else to see me; I want to know that I'm real!-"

I felt the wind pick up around us and sharp icicles that could easily impale us extended from the ceiling and walls. My breathing quickened as I watched her eyes bleed a dangerous glowing red, which I took as a sign that it meant she was _really_ pissed off.

"-I'M TIRED OF BEING TREATED LIKE I DON'T EXIST, AND IF SENDING THE WORLD INTO THE NEXT ICE AGE IS WHAT ITS GOING TO TAKE, THEN SO BE IT!" She screamed and I was about to say something when a rumbling sound echoed above us. The snow that was cascading down the mountain was causing ice to shatter and fall to the ground around us. I was about to panic but when I looked over at her, she seemed as calm as a turtle and rolled her eyes. Shooting her hand out behind her, the snow grew closer and I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact. After a moment I opened one eye followed by the other and watched in amazement. I looked out the windows to see the snow splitting in two and going around us. As the last bit of snow fell, she lowered her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't let the snow fall on us _if_ I don't want to." She reassured me, but that great and wonderful ' _if'_ didn't help me much.

I watched her, wide-eyed with a large mixture of feelings. She wasn't as much like Pitch as she was like me. How could other spirits not see her? Is this what I would have become if I was left alone for more time? I just felt so… _guilty_ now, or am I just feeling sorry for her!? She didn't even have a name; she wasn't a threat to the kids(of course unless she started the next Ice Age), she was just desperate. All at once I understood.

"Look, I-I understand how you feel but kidnapping me won't get them to like you." I stated calmly, unsure of how to handle the situation at hand.

Her eyes dimmed but still glowed red. "I don't care if they like or hate me as long as they know I exist." She stated quietly. "You don't understand anything!" She hissed, but her eyes seemed to be returning to their natural color. Her words made me flash back to the day I was in Antarctica with Pitch.

 _ **Flashback…**_

" _-But I understand."_

 _I turned with anger, striking out with my staff._

" _YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!" I screamed as the blue energy shot out at him._

 _ **End of flashback…**_

This definitely was a problem. She didn't even care if anyone liked her; she was so desperate for attention that she didn't care what kind it even was. All I could see before was someone who was heartless and overcome by greed; how could I have been so blind that I didn't even attempt to look closer? It was distant, and hidden by her anger, but sadness definitely clouded her voice. She was just like me. We both stood in silence and, though she never lost her intimidating appearance, she did noticeably calm down great levels.

"You-you know…maybe if I just helped you…we could forget this whole thing. I know the Guardians would be happy to help you." I offered slowly.

She first looked at me with a hidden hopeful look in her eyes but it was quickly replaced by a scoff and a look like it was the craziest thing she'd ever heard someone say.

"Why would you even offer something like that?!" She scowled.

I had to be very careful not to push any of the wrong buttons so I thought my words through carefully. Why was I offering my help after she kidnapped me and kept me from doing my job for three whole days? It could just be my hopes of persuading her… _no_ , this was something more. I want to give her the chance to be remotely cared about and what if I did leave her? I know better than most what it feels like to be lonely; even though the idea scares me, if I was left alone for just a little more time, I would have become just like the Nightmare King. It appears that she has been here longer than I _and_ without the ability to be seen by other spirits, which I still can't explain.

"Because…now that I know what this is about I… _care_." I answered.

 _Wrong answer._

"Did they brain wash you or something?" She laughed. "Wow, you are the exact opposite of who you used to be."

Ok, now I was confused. How would she know? Has she been there watching me since the day I rose from the lake or something? The idea made me shudder a bit.

"Have we met?" I asked with uncertainty. "-or are you my personal stalker?"

"We did once actually. I guess now would be a good time as any to thank you for that fateful night."

What? We have met but… _when_ and thank me for what?

"Thank me? For what?" I asked and she turned to me.

"You probably wouldn't remember but I do. After all it was the first time I'd ever physically touched a living being. I have to admit, when you didn't pass through me I was at a loss for words but you definitely weren't. Your words that day actually helped me through all the time I'd wasted hoping that maybe someone would see me one day and I'd be loved." She laughed at the idea of being _loved_.

"I-I would have said no such thing! When was this?!" I asked in protest. What day could I have been selfish enough to destroy someone else's hopes?!

"The blizzard of '68'." She answered casually.

 _Oh…that day_.

I was literally at a loss for words. Oh yes, I remembered that day quite clearly; in fact, I still wish I could have gone back and changed it. I even tried; I searched all over to try and find the person that I'd spoken to and apologize for my harsh and stupid words but, no matter how hard I searched, I just couldn't seem to find her and here she was, right in front of me. She looked much different in comparison to the day _I_ practically shoved her into the ground, though, in my anger, I was more than happy to blame it on her. She had long brown hair in a ponytail and a thin blue jacket on and an innocent, scared, and confused look on her face. Now, her hair was white, hanging freely down her back, a blood red cloak over a plain white dress and a heartless, careless, and vengeful look on her face. The death-bringing girl that stood before me was a product of _my_ doing. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I-I…" I started but I couldn't find the right thing to say.

"I actually am being sincere about this 'thank you', as hard as you might find that to believe. It really did save me a lot of heartache. I'm just wondering why your opinion is so different now when you were right about what you said in the first place." She asked and all I could do was chastise myself about that day and try to come up with some sort of sentence that would be appropriate for this situation.

"What could have possibly changed your mind when-"

"I'm sorry." I interrupted quietly but judging by her expression she had still heard me.

She stared at me. I couldn't read her expression and, at the moment, I didn't want to even try. The night that this had happened, I'd _accidentally_ ruined Easter and Bunnymund was more than happy to come and practically yell his lungs out at me. I hadn't meant to, I just…lost control of my emotions. Unfortunately, Bunny didn't help much in the way of lowering my guilt and anger. I hadn't wanted to take that out on anybody but I was blind with so many different emotions myself that I had this desire to make someone else feel what I did. I succeeded but now karma seems to have made a really good come back.

"I wasn't chastising you, I was thanking you for what you said-" She started.

"What I said was wrong!" I intervened. "I was blinded by my own emotions and I took that out on you. " _I_ … _was_ … _wrong_."

I'm not sure why I had more trouble saying it slower. This time, I actually looked up and into her eyes. She wasn't even looking at me anymore; it was as if she was still trying to process what I'd said. After a moment she narrowed her eyes and looked up at me.

"I'm willing to believe two things. Either becoming a Guardian has gotten to your head and you've forgotten about the fact that they left you for three hundred years until that clump of dirt in the sky said you had to become one of them, or you're just trying to con me into giving your weapon and freedom back. Which one is it?" She asked in a threatening tone.

She, to my surprise, raised her hand straight forward, causing a blue glow to erupt from her hand. Ice started to spread out from her hand, causing a handle to form and, from the handle, a long thin ice blade reached out from the edge. It looked like a fencing sword that the French used to use. Beautiful frost patterns swirled all around it and I was so caught up in awe that I seemed to forget she might just harm me with it. In a moments notice, she snapped the blade out and I leaned back in an effort to avoid it. The blade came within centimeters of my neck and I put my hands up as a sign of peace in hopes she would lower her weapon. She didn't. Of course.

"Well?" She asked again, lifting my chin up with the blade so that I met her eyes. I stood deathly still so it wouldn't be my fault if the blade pierced my skin.

"Neither of those. I'm trying to help!" I stated defiantly.

"Somehow I find that awfully hard to believe." She said and, before I could answer back, she lowered her blade and turned back in the direction of her throne.

I stood there waiting. "Well?" I asked, getting bored with the awkward silence.

She turned to me and, losing all traces of anger and other emotions, smirked at me. Why did I get the feeling that I was going to be experiencing the exact opposite of fun? Just as the thought ran through my head, I started to _really_ hate my luck. I glanced down as ice formed into a shackle around my ankle and slithered into a long chain until connecting itself to the floor. _Great_. Karma hates me now!

"Whoa! WHY?!" I demanded.

"For lying to me. Pretending to care, for your own benefit, is a _really_ low blow, dude. Even for you." She smiled, knowing that I had quickly caught on to the last part of her sentence and glared in response.

"I'm not lying!"

"And I'm not stupid." She quickly changed the subject. "I do hope you enjoy my household. Made it myself." She replied with a wink.

"Well congratulations, You have a simply _captivated_ audience, don't you?" I said with sarcasm dripping through each word.

"Careful, I might just make you wash the floor." She smiled.

I shuddered at the thought of having to do actual _work_. Sure, bringing winter and performing my duties as a Guardian was technically work but it's fun work. The idea of sitting there scrubbing the huge floor area was definitely _not_ appealing.

"Yeah, well you just wait. My friends are going to come for me. You're making a huge mistake with what you're doing and they won't be nice about it." I said confidently.

She glared at me. "Right now they're on a wild goose chase and have blamed your disappearance on that pathetic moron you call the Nightmare King. I think that could be a while."

Her glare was quickly wiped off by another smirk. What was she planning now? "I'm a little tired; I think I'll retire for the night. Sweet dreams Jack." She said sweetly.

My eyes widened the moment she said it and I saw a smoky black figure come forward and stand in front of me. What?! Since when could anyone other than Pitch control Nightmares?!

"No, wait! Don't you dare!" I called after her but she was already gone.

I stared into the eyes of the same creatures I kill each day with ease and, for the first time, there was nothing I could do to fight it. Only stand and wait for it to send me into a dark dreamless sleep. I stared into the golden abyss of the eyes, praying that it wouldn't be that bad. It stepped forward and I felt my eyes drop as darkness surround my mind and thoughts.

* * *

 **Author's note: Hey guys, I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. I finally got some inspiration for this chapter. I'm so happy!**

 **Jack: Ok,** _ **maybe**_ **this is a better story than I thought.**

 **Me:*narrows eyes suspiciously* Is that your actual opinion or did Ella make you say that?**

 **Jack: Mine. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?**

 **Me:*still suspicious*** _ **Okay**_ **, well while you're here, there is one fun task you could do.**

 **Jack:*eyes light up* Really, what?**

 **Me:*evil grin* *places scrubbing brush in hand***

 **Jack:*smile fades* Now you're just being mean.**

 **Me: Ella's idea *Skips away***


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: Hey guys! So glad that I got more comments! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and I have a spoiler alert! There** _ **might**_ **be romance soon, I won't say between who but I have a feeling you guys already know.**

 **Jack: ROMANCE?! Please don't read!**

 **Me: Um, yes, please do read! Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Jack: NOOOOOOOOOOO!**

 **BETA NOTE: Demands for updates will be roasted and used to make marshmallows.**

 **Author's Note: Ignore beta at your own risk, just like I do.**

* * *

 **Pitch's POV:**

It's been about an hour since that pack of buffoons waltzed in here like they owned the place. They were just dying to start something, I swear! If I weren't so wea- _tired_ from our last friendly meeting, I wouldn't have let them walk out of here alive. I didn't notice the lack of nightmares around the place until they mentioned that they just so happened to be roaming the streets. Who would want to take off with them in the first place? There was also the possibility that, since they had no _official_ master to control them, they decided that it was okay for them to leave and do what ever they want, which, in my opinion, makes them more dangerous than before. I smiled evilly at the idea of the Guardian's so called _victory_ , backfiring.

After gaining a family, getting believers, and getting everything he's wanted, I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that that winter brat left them. It was fun to rile up those idiots on the topic of Frost's disappearance though. As much as I would have liked to have been right about the Guardians eventually casting him out, I know that they would never have the heart to do it, I never expected Jack to be the one to leave them, it just doesn't make sense. Mother Nature wasn't the only one to realize the lack of snow everywhere either. Even if Frost left them willingly, he wouldn't have just started neglecting his duties to winter which meant something more has to be going on. It's not likely that he would vanish into thin air and, even more, Mother Nature has a sense that helps her know where all the seasonal spirits are, so the fact that she can't locate him is concerning. Now, it may sound like I care, I don't; in fact, the idea of that nuisance being gone forever rather lifts my mood, but, I am a little… _curious_. If something happened to him, then I want to be the first to know; it would be the perfect way to ensure that I have better chances of completing my goal when I rise up again. I would have won if that brat hadn't interfered and, while I am still superior, I won't lie in admitting that I didn't expect him to be much of a problem in my plans. Oh, how wrong I was.

I turned with a new thought and a wicked grin. They don't know where he is; what if I found him first and ensured they didn't get to him in time to help. Oh, yes, this would be _fun_.

* * *

 **Ella's POV:**

I don't know what it was but something strange took over me when I commanded the Nightmare to attack Jack, it just felt so… _good_. It made me feel so powerful and superior. At the same time, I fight that feeling away, I know what happens when someone is blinded by power. The war against the Guardians was the result of what happens when someone finds themselves higher and more deserving of praise than the rest. I refuse to let those heartless and brainless creatures corrupt or distract me from my goal.

I went back at least an hour later to make sure things were running smoothly. He was mumbling things I couldn't understand in his sleep. I walked closer, half expecting to see some sort of nightmare associated with his past or with the Guardians abandoning him. What I did not expect to see, was _me_.

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

 _She stood there on the brink of a dark void, emotionless._

" _Please, I'm sorry for what I said that day, I was just angry! You don't have to be alone!" I cried out but she didn't make one move to come back._

 _The darkness clouded around her, whispering in her ear and, by the looks of it, she was listening to them. They seemed to beckon her to the darkness and scream how cruel the world is. I watched them surround her with their persuading voices. This was all my fault, I should have never said the things I did. She's going to fall into the cold clutches of hate and it's all my fault._

" _Why should I care? The cold darkness is the only thing that ever accepted me! You should come with me. They left you for so long, didn't they? Why don't you let them know how it feels to be alone and hated for so long?" She asked but there was a dark shadowy voice overlapping her own._

" _Please, I forgave them, and I know you still have hope within you; I've seen it!" I cried but she just smiled and turned to the darkness. It began to corrupt and swallow her whole until there was nothing left but darkness._

" _NO! Come back! I was wrong…I'm sorry." The last part came in a whisper._

* * *

 **Ella's POV:**

I won't sugar-coat anything, I was shocked. He actually was sorry for what happened that day and he didn't want me to be alone. Part of me wanted to tease him about his dream when he woke up but the other part, the sensible one, told me to wait and see how this rolls out. Just because he had a dream like that doesn't mean he cares and it certainly doesn't mean that anyone else cares, it was just a coincidence. Dreams and nightmares alike can be very unpredictable, besides, I've already learned my lesson about trusting what I see and holding onto hope that would only leave me disappointed. This had to be some sort of trick; I don't know how but it is.

I slipped into my crystal like throne, in deep thought, trying to force away any part of me that thinks people, let alone _him_ , could possess any sort of humanity. I looked back up at him on the ground; he was out cold, there couldn't have been a way that this was faked. The dream world may be unpredictable but your dreams were always affected by your feelings or desires. I know that from watching Sandy work his magic back in the Golden Age and, even then, people were only cruel beings that walked the earth. Then again, how am I any better?

I lowered my head, pondering what I have become. I, in no way, wish to change now that I see the world for what it really is but it also makes me wonder, what would it matter if I was seen? Would they only continue to ignore me like they did Jack for three hundred years? Anger started to stir in me; they've blinded him from everything. They still ignore him, with the expectance of Guardian duties. All they wanted him for was his powers so that they could defeat Pitch and they somehow managed to shield that truth from him. He used to be exactly like me; I was no longer jealous of him as I was furious of what those 'Guardians' did. I stopped; why did I care? I looked over at him, his silvery hair shined from the ice around us and he just seemed so scarred from his past and from everything he's been through. He hasn't been through near as much as me but he's still been through so much because of the people who were _supposed_ to protect him before he even became one of them. They left him when he needed them most and, for that, they would dearly pay. My heart clenched in my chest as I slowly processed what I was feeling. I _cared_ about _him_?!

I stood up from my throne in horror and raced down the hallway into my room. A phantom sensation spread throughout me that I couldn't describe as hatred or dark pleasure and it _hurt_. Something was stirring inside me, making me feel sick to my stomach. This wasn't right, I shouldn't feel this! I promised I'd never have to want something or hang onto hope _ever_ again. It was _his_ fault! Ever since he came here, he's been putting words into my head and poisoning my sense of reality. My eyes became dark with hatred and I stormed back down the hall, blade in hand, to the middle of the room. I never should have done this, there were other ways I could have gotten recognition than allowing this… _boy_ to try and change me.

I stood in the middle of the room, above him, blade in hand, ready to end my mistake. I brought my blade execution style.

' _Don't think about it._ ' I chimed to myself. ' _Just do it_.'

All I needed to do was bring the blade down. I knew if I took one look, I wouldn't do it. I breathed in and out and everything would have been fine…if I hadn't taken that one look. He was in the dark dream world, unaware of what was going on, a frown covering his features. He was so… _innocent_.

' _No, don't think like that!_ ' I scolded myself and brought the blade up again.

"No." His voice suddenly sounded in a whisper. " _Please_."

This stopped me dead in my tracks and I looked down at him. His eyes were now wide open and staring up at me and the blade in pure fear. He knew there was no way he'd be able to run if I decided to bring my blade down and it scared him. I glared at him, trying to cover up the war of feelings inside of me as he stared up at me. This needed to be done; I brought up the blade once more and he clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the worst. _That's_ what shattered me. _That's_ what stopped my blade. He was giving up and waiting for his death. After a few moments, when nothing happened, he carefully opened his eyes to see what had halted his death. I got angry, preparing to swing again only for arm to come back down and I growled in frustration. He stared up at me, confused. This wasn't supposed to be happening; the word _mercy_ isn't in my vocabulary! The Nightmare that previously occupied him was standing just to the right, and, I swear, it was probably just as confused as Jack. The most confused, though, was _me_. I never had a problem killing anyone… _until now_ and it infuriated me. What was this?! I looked at him and forced myself to calm down. I probably made myself look like a fool right now. I sighed and looked at the weapon in my hands; I couldn't do it.

He was still staring at me and with one glance, I brought the blade all the way down. He looked away when he heard a shattering sound echo the room. Looking back, the blade was in the floor, and had shattered the chain connecting him to the floor to bits. He looked back at me but despite what I was doing, I still kept a look of pure hatred on.

"Don't do anything stupid." I hissed and walked down the hall, back to my room, leaving a very confused and surprised winter spirit and Nightmare behind.

* * *

 **Author's note: Wow, talk about mood swing issues. One moment she declares to make the Guardians pay for using Jack and the next she's prepared to kill him. I posted this next chapter a bit earlier than I expected but I was excited.**

 **Jack: Aw, she does care. *places hand over heart***

 **Ella: *punches in the face***

 **Me: o.o, we'll see you in the next chapter, I guess?**


	6. Chapter 6

**. .head** **\- You pretty much hit it dead on. Ella was created to be extremely bipolar, with some mood swings, and some** _ **major**_ **anger management issues.**

 **Isella of the wolf tribe** **\- Thank you! And Ella is kind, just hurt and filled with thousands of years of hatred…o.o. She puts up a mask to hide her feelings because she feels that crying or looking hurt makes her weak.**

 **.sunshine** **\- Here is your update! XD**

 **Carri Sylver** **\- My aunt /beta says thank you for the grammar tip!**

 **Adriana** **\- Thank you for your enthusiasm! Here is your update! XD**

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

"No." " _Please_." I asked in a whisper.

Yeah, I know it sounded rather babyish but I didn't know what else to say considering the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was her standing there, ready to bring her blade down. She looked at me with hate and brought her blade in motion to swing. I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst, but nothing came. Opening my eyes, I looked at her, struggling to bring her blade down; she just couldn't seem to do it. After another attempt to swing her blade down and kill me, she gave up, and looked at her weapon before looking at me. She swung the blade all the way down and I looked away until I realized the blade hadn't hit me, but the chain that was connecting me to the floor. I stared up at her confused.

"Don't do anything stupid." She hissed and walked down the hallway to her room.

I'm not sure just how long I stood there after that. Finally, I looked to my right to see the same stupid Nightmare from before, staring down the hallway, and gave it a good punch in the snout; it snorted and ran off. I walked up to the throne and sat down, not caring if she got upset if I sat in it, and thought. She was obviously ready to kill me; what stopped her? Did I change her mind about the world, about me? It seemed I had to have done something to make her want to kill me, but what? My heart was still racing from what just happened as I tried to focus but my eyes were slowly dropping again. It was, after all, only one or two in the morning. I saw the Nightmare walking towards me again. I swear, if it…

 _Darkness_.

* * *

 **North's POV:**

Tooth left to instruct her fairies to keep an eye out for Jack while Bunny and Sandy decided to do their part by discussing all the possible scenarios of his disappearance. I took the liberty of doing my research in the library for any information that might clue us in to where our winter friend may be.

I feel a bit guilty considering that, by now, we should have gotten to know him enough to know where he might have gone on his own. Even if Pitch only said the things he did to upset us, they were, none of them, wrong. What if we unintentionally hurt Jack enough to make him want to leave for a little while? I don't remember any instances recently but, at the same time, we haven't really even considered taking the time to know or talk with him. The most we ever did was say hello and dismiss him, due to our desire to continue our work. It couldn't have possibly hurt for one of us to take a moment to have a full conversation with the boy. I've been sitting here for hours and the only thing that is keeping me from giving up is my desire to apologize to him.

I angrily slammed another book closed and set it on the large stack of books I'd already read through, before heading over to the book shelf again. I ran my fingers along the books, in search of a title that might help us locate him. Just as I thought that I might have gone through every possible book that could provide any use to us, my eyes fell upon a dark leather bound book with a silver lined title.

 _Secrets of the Frozen Heart: urban legends of Christopher E. Doyle_

My eyes scoured the book, front and back, Edmond Doyle was most known for his study in the unseen mysteries of the world. He was often criticized for his work during the days he was writing it but, today, he is better thought of as a great scientist and explorer. He had a great fascination with winter, in particular, and preferred to study it more often than not but, one day, he went to explore the Artic Circle and never returned from his journey. Back then, his works were not seen as worthy enough to publish so, today, his works are very rare and loaded with information that even the spirits are sometimes foreign to. Perhaps he knew more about Jack than even we do; he could hold information that we could track our friend down with. I hastily opened the book and began to read.

* * *

 **Ella's POV:**

I…am…such…an…idiot! I've been laying in my bed for over three hours now and I just can't stop chastising myself for acting the way I did. I should have just killed him, then I wouldn't feel like this right now. Why did he have to snap his eyes open in the split second I was ready to swing, anyway?! I slammed my head into the snow in frustration. That was all my bed was anyway, lots of compacted snow. For someone like me, it's more comfortable than one might think. Come to think of it, where did Frosty the Snowman go after my stupid moment trying to kill him anyway? I know I told him not to do anything stupid but the likely hood of him obeying is slim to none. He's probably searching for his staff or an exit; neither of which he would have any hope of finding. Either way, you can't be too careful or arrogant, it's what brought Pitch's fall and I won't make any of the same mistakes he did, so I got up to go find him and make sure he didn't do anything unexpected.

I walked into the throne room with a wide-eyed look. He was still there; he moved to my throne, yes but I didn't expect him to just go back to sleep. Then again, the Nightmare probably didn't give him much of a choice. I walked closer, watching his nightmare play over and over in his head.

In this one, he tried to save his sister but she fell through the ice before he could get to her. It played over and over, making him stir uncomfortably each time she fell through. I narrowed my eyes at the black creature and yanked it off his head. Not sure why, but I didn't like the way he stirred unhappily when he had a nightmare like that. Before he could wake up, I walked to my room and grabbed a small pouch out of my ice drawer. Walking back, I let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't woken up from his now dreamless sleep and sprinkled the golden dust from the pouch over his head. No, I don't have dream magic like Sanderson but, when you're invisible to everyone, it's not exactly hard to take some for safe keeping. It was just a souvenir but it's not like I would have much else to use it for anyway.

I watched his frown disappear into a small, barely noticeable, smile as he subconsciously positioned himself more comfortably in my chair. I frowned, I shouldn't care about any of this but I felt more content when he was in a more happy sarcastic state, like when he played with the children. Oh, how I wish I could play with kids. They're the only ones who I can truly say are innocent, only to have their minds poisoned with the troubles of adulthood. When he's around, I seem to forget that I was jealous. The horrible truth was that I was beginning to feel things for him and there is nothing that makes me angrier. Even as angry as it makes me, I might just have to accept it. I'm obviously not capable of killing him, in fact, sometimes I feel protective of him. Especially when it comes to those fools who call themselves Guardians. How can you call yourself a Guardian if you failed to protect a child for three hundred years? Maybe Jack was just so blinded by the hope and desire for company that he was willing to believe the Guardians actually wanted him. I won't lie by saying a few hundred years ago I might have done the same thing. I looked at him, sleeping peacefully, yet his hand still seemed to subconsciously reach for his absent staff. It was actually a bit cute.

I shook the thoughts from mind and stood there, watching him sleep. I let out an irritated sigh; this was nothing short of what a creepy stalker would do. As if I hadn't been embarrassed enough by my earlier attempt to kill him, just think of what would happen if he woke up and I was staring at him.

I turned, coming face to face with the Nightmare. It seemed to be watching me, confused by my actions in giving him a good dream. It snorted in disapproval and shoved its hoof into the ground challengingly. I stepped forward narrowing my eyes at the seemingly defiant creature with a look that said 'you got a problem with it?' and the Nightmare backed away with fear. I got a demonic smile and the creature made a run for it _. I wonder what a horse statue would look like in the middle of my throne room_?

* * *

 **Bunny's POV:**

I could care less that the Nightmare King said he didn't know where Jack was, there's always a catch with that guy! Yet, here we are, coming up with different reasons that he might have left on his own desire. There can not be any way that Pitch _doesn't_ have him. With the Nightmares running loose on the streets, it can't just be a coincidence that Frostbite disappeared recently. I turned my attention back to Sandy in the middle of his sentence and, considering you have to see Sandy in order to 'hear' what he has to say, I completely missed what he was telling me.

"Oh, sorry mate, think you can run that one by me again?"

Sandy blew golden steam out of his ears to show his frustration. This wasn't the first time that he had to repeat himself due to my short attention span. He slowly started again, showing a picture of me yelling, then a hurt Jack Frost flying away. It didn't take much for me to interpret that one.

"NO, I haven't even gotten mad at him since Easter, when we had our battle with Pitch, and that was _months_ ago." I said irritably.

Sandy seems to think that one of us upset him in some way and that's why he left. More to the point, he thinks _I_ upset him in some way and that's why he left. For the past few hours, this has been more of an interrogation towards me than it has been an effort to think of any places Frostbite would go or reasons he would go. Sandy lowered his head, probably thinking of another way he could ask the same question over and over again.

Sandy gained a smile as a golden light bulb appeared over his head and I let out a groan, that is, until North burst through the doors into the main room where we were sitting and I let out a silent sigh of relief. He looked troubled as he came over to us and sat in the spare chair.

Sandy flashed a symbol of a book and a question mark, which was interpreted as 'did you find anything?'.

"Yes, I found something." He said worriedly, which was enough to make me lean in with interest. North wasn't worried that often so, when he was, it was serious.

"Well, spit it out ya grumby!" I exclaimed, getting impatient.

North let out a heavy breath. "I recently came across a copy of one of Christopher Edmond Doyle's books. Man was well known for his exploration in the cold unseen mysteries."

I looked at him funny. "That's good though, isn't it?"

He shook his head. "I found nothing that would help us find Jack but…I did find something I did _not_ expect." He lifted his head to look at us. "Have you ever heard the saying 'a spirit among spirits'?" he asked.

I shook my head. Where was he getting at?

"Well, a spirit among spirits, is a spirit that can not be seen by anyone, even their own kind. I did not think that they existed but it seems that Christopher had a very different theory. In his writings, he spoke of an evil spirit that was cast out to spend all eternity alone. The ancient people called it Sola, or lonely soul. She was unseen by anyone and vowed to somehow have vengeance over those who opposed her. It was very unlikely for someone to see this spirit but, if someone over the centuries did, it was because they were similar." He explained, head down.

Sandy and I went blank in thought.

"Wait, wait, how is any of this relevant to Frostbite's disappearance?" I asked, hoping that North had a reason and didn't just have some _feeling_ in his belly.

"Because Bunny, Sola has winter powers. She is similar to Jack, therefore, there is small chance that he was able to see her. If this girl is real, she might be trying to get her vengeance through _him_." He answered.

I stared for a moment. Okay, I'll admit, it does make some sense but we can't just go blindly charging something we can't see. It's a slim chance that any of this is even true.

"How can you be sure mate?" I asked.

"I feel it." _Oh, great_! "In my belly."

* * *

 **Author's note: Hey, sorry it took some time in between my last chapter. Writer's block and a series of one-shots I started.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Beware, this chapter may give you da feels!**

 **IHaveNoName and IDC** **\- I didn't take your message the wrong way and I really wish I could do a little in third person but I discovered that most stories I write, when I have been writing in one particular style for any period of time, it gets hard for me to switch and still make the story sound good.**

 **Isella of the wolf tribe-** **Thanks! I'm glad I could make you laugh! XD**

 **Tracy Hodgkin** **\- You are most definitely right! It'll get serious at moments but it wouldn't be my story if it wasn't funny at some moments and I can say that there will be a really funny moment in a later chapter that I think you'll like! XD**

* * *

 **Pitch's POV:**

Okay, maybe finding Frost was a lot harder than I expected but I will _not_ give up! He's the reason I fell in our last battle and, if he thought I would forget, he was wrong! I'll find him and make him pay for humiliating me if it's the last thing I do. The globe isn't showing any signs of him though; all spirits and believers appear on the globe at all times, meaning he should be on it but it's like there's some dark magic clouding his location. I've been pacing back and forth in irritation. Where is he?!

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

 _I watched the fire glow, warm and comforting, as I read The Night Before Christmas to my sister. She listened, wonder shining in her eyes, to each line I read. It was the perfect Christmas Eve. My mother sat in the background, smiling at us as she finished dinner for the family._

 _My sister looked at me with a curious look in her eyes. "Has anyone ever seen Santa?"_

" _Very few over the years." I answered._

" _Have you ever seen him?"_

" _No."_

 _She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Then how do you know he's real?"_

 _I looked at her with a playful gleam. "Do you stop believing in the moon when the sun comes up?"_

 _She giggled. "No."_

" _If I left to visit another world, would you stop believing I was ever your brother?" I laughed._

 _She started laughing as well. "No. I'd always believe in you. You're my big brother."_

 _I smiled. "Seeing isn't believing, kiddo."_

 _She gave me a funny look before hugging me and smiling. "You're not gonna get a lump of coal again, are you?" She joked._

 _I laughed and placed a hand over my heart in mock sadness. "You wound me with your words."_

 _We played and laughed together the rest of the evening. Just me and my sister._

* * *

 **Still Jack's POV:**

The peaceful sound of winter birds upon the mountain echoed in my ears. I moved around, wishing for the distant feel of warmth to come back to me and for my sister to be there beside me when I opened my eyes, shouting at me to get up because Santa had come but as reality came back to me, I realized it was only a dream; a really wonderful dream. Wait, what?

I opened my eyes, coming back into familiarity with the ice cold palace surrounding me. I remembered the incident with Ella at about one o clock in the morning and was about to pass that off as a dream as well, until I realized I wasn't shackled to the floor anymore, proving that that had actually happened last night. What was even more puzzling though was the fact that I had a good dream. Did the Nightmare leave? Even if it did, it wouldn't explain why I wasn't just condemned to a dreamless sleep. Just as I remembered the Nightmare advancing on me last night I narrowed my eyes, going to search for it and give it another good punch in the snout. The nightmare I had before the dream was _not_ pleasant!

I stood up, and that was when I noticed the new, strangely shaped block of ice in the middle of the room. Walking up to it, I saw ice spiking up out of the floor around it and I carefully avoided them. The block was covered with delicate frost patterns swirling all across it but behind it I could make out something small and golden poking out through it. I brushed away the frost, revealing the eye of the creature plaguing me last night, staring back at me, horrified and frozen to death.

I stumbled back a few steps at the truly horrific, definitely _dead_ creature behind the inch of ice separating it from everything else. True, I kill them every day but I had never done something like _that_. I walked back, keeping my eye on the statue. Did I kill it in my sleep or something?! No, I can't do that much without my staff from that many feet away so the only explanation… _Ella_.

Why did she do that? Why did she help me and give me a good dream after _almost_ trying to kill me? It just doesn't make any sense. I walked through the corridors, each one with morning light streaming through the walls, searching for her. It was time that I got some answers to some of these questions. I went down the third corridor to the right, remembering it as the one I walked down when I threw the snowball at her. She'd appeared out of nowhere so I'm assuming that she came from one of the doors close to it.

I looked down the hall, at a half open door and walked up to it, peering inside. The room was fairly simple, aside from the gigantic pile of snow in the middle of it. I stepped in quietly, looking around; there were beautiful designs carved into the wall signifying that this had to be a special room. They all looked like she'd tried to destroy or erase them so I could barely make out each one after a few moments of looking at them. I walked further into the room, finding something on the wall that I did not expect to find. Me.

Okay, not just me, but there was a picture of me trying to get a bunch of kids' attention, the incident with Jamie and the sled, when I'd been pushed aside because his tooth popped out. It showed me getting upset and her frowning in the background. Did she feel… _bad_ for me? It then showed her following me, watching me, smiling. I walked further to see a picture of me and her laughing and smiling, that is, until it came to a picture of me defeating Pitch, surrounded by kids and the Guardians, while she stayed on side lines, unnoticed, unhappy. I stared at them, wide-eyed. She practically had my entire battle with Pitch all mapped out in drawings and she was there the whole time, I just never saw her. All those times I went looking for her to apologize and she was probably right behind me!

She looked so depressed and unwanted…just like I used to be. I jumped slightly when I heard something move behind me and turned my head towards the sound. I looked around, eyes searching for something but all there was in the room was the odd pile of snow. I narrowed my eyes, looking closer and realized the snow was _breathing_. I silently stepped up to the pile and leaned down, examining it carefully and realized it wasn't just snow, it was a blanket. My eyes widened and I moved back: I was in her room. She hadn't exactly been hidden but because of how pale she was, and the fact that her hair was the same color as freshly fallen snow, she'd blended in perfectly.

For once, she didn't have her normal evil **/** mischievous smirk on or look like she was born from pure hatred itself, she looked… _beautiful_. I shook the thought from my head, feeling a little stupid that it was ever in there, but she really did look much more at peace and normal, aside from her sleeping in a pile of snow. I stood there, knowing that the best thing to do would be to leave before she woke up, not moving, and stared at her. The light pouring through the ice walls made her pure white hair glow like it was a part of the snow itself. I froze stiff, I felt like a creepy stalker at that moment and that's coming from the one who was kidnapped by _her_. Her breaths were soundless and calm, so much so that I wouldn't have ever even noticed them, had I not seen her first.

She turned over in her bed and my breath caught in my throat. Her crystal blue eyes were open and staring me straight in the face. That's it, I'm dead! She stared at me with a blank and unreadable expression on her face, while I, being the idiot that I am, stood in the same spot, and continued to stare back at her. Her eyes hadn't started turning blood red yet but she could still be debating whether she's going to be angry or sarcastic about it. She wasn't saying anything; was she still half asleep? Suddenly, she buried herself deeper into the snow, and halfheartedly threw a snowball at my chest.

I blinked a few times at her response, not really sure what to do. She sat up completely, snow falling off her and brushed her hair out of her face to see me clearly enough.

"That's _really_ ironic." She said suddenly.

"Um…it's not what it looks like!" I said, feeling very awkward at that moment.

She raised an eyebrow in amusement and stood up in front of me. "Isn't it?"

I wasn't sure why she didn't seem to care that I was her 'domain' but, either way, I wasn't complaining. It could be _much_ worse. I was thinking about asking her about the pictures on the wall but stopped myself; there was probably a reason she tried to scratch them out. It was probably kind of like her own pictographic diary that she didn't want to have to read anymore.

She walked around me and out into the hallway, heading back down to the throne room, and I followed, seeing it as the perfect moment to ask about her weird and unpredictable actions last night. She was sitting in her throne, staring at the statue standing near the back of her throne room like it was some sort of trophy she'd won for herself. It made more sense to me that the Nightmares were so obedient to her rather than Pitch. He treated his like a flawless army and she treats them like she's ready to strike down any disobedient creature that defies her, making her more feared by them than Pitch.

I lost myself in my thoughts when a very serious problem came to mind. Where were the Guardians? I know that I was asleep for three days when I first came here and it's been another two or three days since then. I have a feeling if I ask Ella if they were still looking for me, she'd probably lie, saying they weren't. I know that I can't exactly find it in me to forgive them for the three centuries of isolation yet but they've got to at least still be looking… _right_? I looked over at Ella.

"I want you to tell me the truth…are they actually still searching for me?" I asked and she lifted her head up at the sudden question.

I watched as she debated in her head how to answer that. She let out a sigh. "Yes."

I let out an unheard sigh of relief. I knew that it was unlikely they'd find me any time soon unless she brought the magic wall surrounding the place down but it was good to know that they were still looking for me.

"Don't get your hopes up cause they're not going to find you themselves." She assured.

"I know."

She looked up and blinked in surprise. "You know?"

"Yeah but the fact that they're still taking time out to try and find me, proves that they do care, even if only a little." I explained.

I leaned back against the wall, avoiding her stare. "Why did you do that?" I asked, pointing at the dark statue standing in the middle of the floor. She looked up at it dully.

"I decided that your constant whining in your sleep was starting to get really annoying and I thought the statue would provide some atmosphere." She lied to me.

"Then why was I given a good dream afterward?"

She froze stiff, realizing her mistake, and took a few more silent moments to try and come up with a believable answer, but I knew I'd already caught her red handed. She narrowed her eyes at me, starting to get really irritated.

"Just because I was feeling charitable at that moment, doesn't mean that I care in any way if that's what you're suggesting." She stated harshly.

"Yeah, and I suppose you were just feeling charitable when you decided not to kill me last night." I persisted with a smirk.

I could see that her eyes were starting to change color and she kept them focused forward, noticeably trying to hold back her anger. I dialed it down a bit with a more grateful expression.

"Thank you."

Her eyes turned blue with a slightly surprised expression covering her features. She looked at me suspiciously, trying to spot any joking look or dishonesty in my eyes to see if I was just messing with her, before looking a bit confused when I showed no such thing. She looked forward again, breathing heavily.

"You're… _welcome_?"

I smiled inwardly.

"So…" I started awkwardly. "What's with the Nightmares anyway? I thought only Pitch could control them."

She looked at the statue, slightly smiling at the memory of how terrified it looked when she froze it to death. "Anyone can control them if they have authority but only the Nightmare King can _make_ them. Pitch's fatal move was trusting them to do their job. That and he was arrogant and too ambitious for his own good." She explained.

It became painstakingly obvious at that moment that she did not approve of the Nightmare King's actions. Her actions would be exactly like his if it weren't for the fact that she wasn't threatening any kids… _yet_. The idea of her bringing the next Ice Age would be _very_ bad. Luckily, for now, she appears to only want the other spirits' attention.

"Oh, he did seem a bit too ambitious, didn't he." I answered sarcastically.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you being so friendly?"

I stared her in the face. "One, because I'm bored and you seem a lot friendlier in the morning than I've seen you any other time; two, because I hate silence and awkwardness, and three, I feel bad for you and want to make sure that when you finally do decide to bring me with you to get the Guardians' attention, you aren't as hostile and we can help you and adopt you into our little friends circle."

She stared at me, dumbfounded for a second before gaining an angry look. "What did you say?" She asked threateningly.

Instead of backing down, I walked up to her. "It doesn't matter if you freeze me into an ice block or bury me in the snow for hours, I won't _lie_ to appeal to you. I don't expect you to forgive me for the night I hurt you but as far as the kidnapping is concerned, I forgive you. Whether you believe it or not, I want to help."

* * *

 **Ella's POV:**

I was about to snap in half at his words, partly because of how much I so desperately wanted them to be true and partly because I was boiling over with anger and emotions. He should be running for his life right now; yet, he stands firm, as serious as he could possibly be. No, he didn't care! No one does or ever will! I shook with rage and stared him in the face.

"You're not supposed to forgive me!" I breathed heavily. "You-You…"

For once, I was at a loss for words and I was furious. He wasn't really forgiving me for anything, he just knew it would send me off the edge.

"I don't need your _forgiveness_!" I spat through gritted teeth.

"No but I'm giving it." He answered.

I could hear my heart beat getting faster and faster in my chest as each second passed. This was not how things were supposed to go; I was not supposed to open up to that idiot for even a second and now it's taking its toll on me. He was trying to rile up my hope so he can tear it down, he's just waiting for me to let him in and take advantage of it. I actually thought he would have been a little different but it seems he's become just like every other ungrateful, arrogant, selfish fool that walks the planet!

"Save it, I'm not falling for it." I hissed.

He shook his head sadly, almost like he was disappointed. "You'd like to think I'm joking, wouldn't you?"

"I don't think, I _know_." I spat, venom sounding in my voice. "People like you couldn't care less. You're just waiting to build up my hope so you can tear it down again!"

"So this is about the day I hurt you." He clarified and I immediately realized my mistake.

Raw energy was pounding inside my head as each word he said echoed in my mind. I was done! I raced down the hall, into a room and magically sifted through the ice, pulling out a long wooden staff. This would prove that he didn't care cause, the moment I lift the wall, he'll be gone in a flash. I didn't even care about getting the other's attention as long as I could prove my point that no one, let alone _him_ , cared.

I went back down the hall to where he was standing and chucked it at him. He barely caught it and stumbled back, looking at it and then at me with surprise. I flicked my wrist and the magic wall came falling down and a door that hadn't been visible appeared and opened.

"There! You happy! You won! GET OUT!" I screamed.

There was a long moment he was staring at the outside longingly. Why wouldn't he just leave already?! The door was open, he had his weapon, he had his freedom, and yet, he didn't budge from his spot. It didn't matter how long he looked at it, he would eventually abandon this place and escape as fast as he could. It was inevitable. He was cruel just like the rest of them.

He looked behind him at the door, then at the staff, and then stared me dead in the face. "No."

My world came crashing down at that moment. N-No?! He looked like he seriously wasn't going to leave. I shook my head in denial and slowly backed away. This wasn't happening, this wasn't _real_. He was just trying to toy with my emotions before leaving or even striking out to kill me. My fists clenched as I shot a burst of ice towards him, deliberately missing, so that I might scare him off. He jumped away slightly but didn't leave.

"It isn't funny! Leave before I change my mind!" I shouted but he shook his head.

"What if I don't want to?" He asked.

I narrowed my eyes which were turning red with hatred and anger. He walked forward towards me and I backed away from him. I won't lie by saying that I wasn't terrified; all my life, I was always the one who was feared by others and void of any contact…any emotion. I shot more ice but he ignored it until he was right up in front of me. He tried to take another step and I raised my hand above my head, ready to hit him but, as my hand came down, his hand snapped out, catching my wrist. I stared at him for the longest time, pure hatred and anger bleeding out. I couldn't do it, I just couldn't kill him. Not because I was incapable of killing him because, if I really wanted to, I could snap my fingers and he would be dead like the rest of the people I kill each year. No, I couldn't kill him because I _liked_ him and it was burning me from the inside out.

"I…want…to…help." He stated defiantly and wrapped his arms around me, embracing me in a hug.

I couldn't handle it. It was too much. The desire to be cared about was pounding in my head and I broke. I broke out into sobs. I hadn't cried in thousands of years…and the worst part is…it felt good. Voices echoed in mind. Some saying to kill him now, some saying to believe him, and some screaming at me to stop crying. I clutched my head with one hand, trying to be rid of them all, and held onto his arm with a death grip with the other hand. Anger still pulsed through my veins but was also overshadowed with the desire of something I had cut myself away from for hundreds of years. I didn't care though; I just wanted it all to stop.

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

Her hand snapped out to strike me as I got closer but I quickly stopped it with my free hand. She stared at me, hate spilling out but, in her eyes, I could see tears. No one deserves to be alone as long as I had, let alone thousands of years _longer_. I saw her walls crashing down and her eyes were wide with both fury and fear. She was afraid to let anyone in.

"I…want…to…help." I stated in an 'end of discussion' tone.

Then, I did something she didn't expect. I dropped my staff to the floor and wrapped my arms around her. I felt her collapse in my arms and break out in to heart wrenching sobs. Though she still seemed to weakly try and push herself away from me, I held her firm in my embrace. Her tears were half way freezing as they slid down her cheek but there seemed to be so many of them that they couldn't freeze completely before getting pushed out of the way by another. Only a few days ago, I could've mistaken her for a she-demon but, as each choked sob shuddered through her body, she looked like nothing more than a neglected child who desperately wished for love and contact… _like me_.

After a few moments, I was beginning to feel like crying with her. It reminded me of how much pain I was in during the three centuries of isolation I went through, asking questions that I thought would never be answered. Her pain started echoing in my mind and I was certain that it if I could feel it like this, than it had to be ten times worse for her. Someone should never have to be alone that long. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do when she stopped crying but what I did know, was that I was never going to let her be alone again.

We sat like that on the floor for a _half hour_ before she finally pushed herself away from me and I let go, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. She just sat there, wordless, her hair hanging in front to hide her face. I brushed away the strands of silvery white hair away. Her eyes were glowing bright blue and still had a few tears hidden in them. She breathed in heavily, refusing to meet my eyes.

I reached to the side, grasping my staff with one hand and her hand with the other. She looked at me, painfully confused. I placed my staff into her hand and stood up, offering a hand to help her up but she didn't take it. Instead, she continued to stare at the staff I just placed in her hands.

"Why?" She asked in a whisper, her voice still raw from crying.

I reached down, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "I'm going to prove that the world isn't as cruel and heartless as you think, starting with the Guardians. Do you still not believe me?"

She didn't answer.

"I'm going to stay here with you and were going to wait for them to come to us, then you can tell me what you think, sound good?" I watched as she paused in thought for a moment, and, to my surprise, shook her head in agreement.

Her eyes lifted to look at mine, spite hidden within them. "We'll see who's right in the end."

* * *

 **Author's note: This was the most feelz filled chapter I have ever written!**

 **Ella: *Hugging Jack and crying* I'm sorry I was so mean to you!**

 **Jack: *Hugging Ella and crying* I'm sorry I called you a demon!**

 **Ella: *Abruptly stops and narrows her eyes at Jack* I never heard you say that.**

 **Jack: *Eyes widen, and laughs nervously* No but I was thinking it.**

…

 ***girlish screams echo through the halls***


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: I…AM…SO…SORRY! *wearing the cone of shame* I didn't mean to go so long without posting a new chapter! D:**

 **Pitch's POV:**

I walked past the globe room in my lair, and, instantly, it brought a smile to my face. A Nightmare had brought to my attention that a certain glowing blue dot had finally appeared. It seems whatever magic had been hiding him was finally gone. I smiled venomously; I think it's time I took a trip to the Artic Circle. As long as I can get to him before the Guardians, I can make sure that his precious little family never sees him again. He. Will. Pay. And nothing is going to get in my way!

 **Ella's POV:**

It's been a full day since the incident. I'm still not sure what to say or think about it. I can't distinguish lie from reality so I'm going to wait and see. Jack wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't going anywhere. I tried to hand him his staff back, his only possession other than his clothes, and he refused to take it until he proved to me that the world isn't as horrible as I think. He wanted to introduce me to the Guardians, make sure the other spirits could see me, or, at least he _said_ he did. I'm less likely to believe that this is all a joke but someone still can't be too careful.

Most of what he's been doing is walking around the castle blindly, unknowing of where he's headed. There are three times I can recall that I've had to lead him back to the throne room. I never put the magic wall back up, leaving him the choice to leave at any time and still he stays. I'm not really sure how long it will take for the Guardians to realize that he's reappeared on the globe. He's probably been missing for so long that they haven't thought to check it every now and then.

I sat in my room, stroking the strings of my guitar and humming a sweet tune. My guitar was usually my escape when I wanted to clear my mind or avoid certain thoughts. It was the winter wonderland of my mind to put it in perspective. I dropped an octave and began to sing.

 **Jack's POV:**

I walked through the corridors in deep thought. The magic wall was down, meaning the Guardians would notice my location… _eventually_. Ella hasn't spoken about what happened yesterday morning; in fact, if anything, I think she's trying to avoid me. She left my staff by the throne for me to pick up and leave at any moment but I already told her I wasn't going anywhere. I walked past the door to her room, and my ears began to pick up on a sweet sound coming from the other side of the door. I quietly opened it to locate the source of the sweet sound. Peeking inside, I saw Ella, eyes closed, singing a slow song while playing her guitar beautifully.

' _I shout, I scream, but you can't hear the words I say._

 _Begging, pleading, I only want someone to stay_

 _Save me from the dark, this frozen heart!_

 _I'm falling apart, right back at the start!_ '

I listened as each word left her lips, digging a hole into me. Every word she sang was exactly how I felt for three hundred years. Just wanting someone to be there. I silently stood there as she continued with her song, unaware of my presence.

' _I walk through town talking to myself as they walk by._

 _I know they won't answer but it's such a beautiful lie._

Her voice got higher.

' _I know I'm all alone, I know I've got no home_

 _but before I fade away, promise you'll staaaayyyy_ '

I subconsciously found myself stepping forward towards the sound, but before I could get any closer, my leg brushed against an ice vase next to her doorway, causing it to roll around threatening to tip over. It leaned to the right, about to fall to the floor but I reached down, catching it and set it back into it's place. I looked back up, when I noticed the song had stopped and she was staring at me with an irritated look on her face, her guitar on her bed, and her arms crossed.

"Do you know what they say about eavesdropping?"

"Oh, sorry, that was just a, uh, really nice song." I said awkwardly.

She rolled her eyes and came up to the door, closing it on me. I left, slightly disappointed that I didn't get to hear the rest of the song. It was a beautiful tune sang from the heart. I walked down the corridor, back to the throne room, with my hands in my hoodie. I've been trying to find ways to occupy my hands because of my absent staff. It was a whole different matter when I had no choice as far as my staff was concerned but now that it's just sitting there, leaning against the throne, ready for me to take, my hands are starting to itch for it. The Nightmare was still standing frozen solid in the middle of the room. It gave atmosphere alright, just a terrifying kind. By the time I was all the way down the hall and in the middle of the throne room, I heard her door open again and I turned back.

"And stay out of my room!" She shouted in a childish manner and closed the door.

I gave a smile of amusement. She sounds just like every teenage girl when their little brother walks into their room to spy or cause mischief. I laughed a bit but as soon as it came, it was gone.

Suddenly, something really didn't feel right. I wasn't really sure what it was but I got a… _feeling_. It was kind of like the feeling I got almost a week ago when she had shot me down out of the sky and I was in the forest, being watched by her. It was rather unnerving. Then, I glanced down at my shadow, which was a lot taller than it was supposed to be…and _darker_. My eyes widened at the realization but before I could do anything, a hand clasped over my mouth and I was yanked backwards.

"Hello Frost." An all to familiar voice spoke.

 _Pitch_. I felt the adrenalin coursing through my veins as I tried to break his grip. No, no, no, this was _not_ supposed to happen! I even tried licking his hand to get it off but apparently he wasn't afraid of germs, that or he was too angry about his defeat last time to care.

"Very nice place you've made here. I'm not even going to ask why you ran away but I've got plans for you my boy." He half laughed, making himself sound like nothing short of a maniac.

I breathed heavily, trying to warn Ella but no sound was audible enough to get her attention from all the way down the hall in her room. It then dawned on me that he couldn't even _see_ Ella so he was looking around to see who's attention I was trying to get. After a second, he ignored and continued. Black sand began flowing around him and formed together to create what I could only assume to be a portal. I struggled more as he dragged me towards it. If she came out and I was gone, she'd think she was right and that I'd abandoned her! His hand grasped my hood and yanked me into the darkness. It felt like I was going to be sick as I fell through the dark abyss-like portal and came out the other side gasping for breath as I hit the hard floor.

Then, everything went black… _again_.

 **Author's note: Hey hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's a lot shorter than most of my others. I promise the next one will be longer!**

 **Jack: EVIL!**

 **Me: Sorry, the story must go on.**

 **Jack: I think you have that saying wrong.**

 **Me: JUST ENJOY THE STORY!**


	9. Chapter 9

**North's POV:**

It had been a few hours that I had been searching through books… _again_. If it was so hard to find information on Sola in the first place, then how are we supposed to find out where she would live? I keep having to remind myself that this was for Jack's sake but each book I slam closed in defeat, makes it that much harder to control my anger. Another thing had occurred to me earlier; now that we believed Sola existed, were we going to be able to see her when we finally did find Jack?

I sighed and sat for a few seconds to collect my thoughts, closing another of my cursed, useless, no good books. My getting frustrated was surely _not_ going to help our winter friend, but can anyone blame me? It has been taking forever to go through each book and I'm still no further to finding him than I was in the first place.

I begrudgingly grabbed another book off the stack and began to open it but I was abruptly stopped when I heard the door slam open. I groaned.

"Phil, I tell you once, now I tell you twice…KNOCK!" I shouted.

Phil motioned towards the door, speaking yetish. After a moment of deciphering, my eyes widened and I sprang from my seat, darting to the globe room. Elves scurried to avoid getting stepped on and yetis with toys moved out of the way so as not to destroy their work when I pushed through them. Phil motioned toward the top half of the globe and my eyes immediately caught sight of the light blue dot glowing through the white landscape… _the Artic Circle_.

I smiled, quickly writing down the coordinates and yelling at a group of yetis to go prepare the sleigh for departure. For the first time in days, we were finally getting somewhere. After taking down his exact location I looked back toward the globe, eyes widening. The blue dot flickered before disappearing again entirely and only one thought ran through my mind. Jack could be in trouble.

* * *

 **Ella's POV:**

I couldn't deny that I had my doubts on both sides but if he wants me to take a chance, then I will. I can't tell which is real anymore, the cruel world as I see it, or the cruel world as my hate and loneliness sees it. The light streamed through the ice, casting beautiful rays on the floor. I stared at them, thinking about what my entire life has been spent like; whether I was wrong or not.

I stood up, walking over to the door and creaking it open to see if Ja- _Frost_ was outside my door. The last time I saw him, he was spying on me as I was playing my guitar, the creeper. He's been rather silent these past couple of hours though. I mean, we haven't talked too much since my weak and pathetic break down but usually I would at least hear him moving through the hallway, trying to find his way through the halls like a lost puppy dog.

Stepping out into the hallway, I examined my surroundings… _silence_. It was the kind of silence that you got when you were completely alone in an isolated area, the kind of feeling that I had gotten awfully familiar with but now, it hurt.

I walked down into the throne room… _no one_. By now I was shaking my head in denial. The wind whipping at me viciously but I was too clouded with fear to listen to it. I pondered this feeling for a moment; why was I afraid? Because he might have finally left, that's why. For once, I wanted to hold onto the illusion that someone might have cared for me, just for a second. My mind started screaming at me, so many different voices and emotion blaring in my mind at once. I clutched my head, trying to make them stop, tears forming in my eyes. He'd actually left. I knew it! All he wanted was to get inside my head, he didn't care in the slightest and I actually let my guard down, I let him in!

My eyes should've been glowing red, I should've been out there searching to kill him right now for lying to me, but instead, they were glowing a bright blue. I was more sad, more disappointed in myself than anything. He was never any different, I just fooled myself into thinking that he was and, for that, I felt like an idiot; a gullible idiot.

I was about to walk back to my room and continue with my original routine, hoping that maybe one day the moon would have mercy on me and I would finally pass on, away from this cruel world, when my eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar brown wooden stick. His staff…it was still leaning against the throne. I'm not sure how long I stood there, staring at it before my mind actually began to process things. I may not be the brightest person in the world but I know that if he were to just leave me without a second word, that he would probably take his weapon with him. I picked it up, shifting the light weight wood in my hands. It hadn't been touched since he placed it in my hands and left it.

Turning around, something else then caught my eye. It was slightly shiny and dark, lightly scattered all over the floor. I came up to it, kneeling down to it. I already had a sneaking suspicion growing in the back of my mind as I began to examine the dark dust.

I picked up some of the black substance, sprinkling it back onto the floor. There was no doubt about what it was; nightmare sand. What I wanted to know was how it got here. Then, the horrible realization hit me like a ton of bricks; I let down the magic wall, leaving Jack to be openly seen on the Globes of Belief… _every_ globe. I had been to most places in the world, just to see the things there were to see, including other people's lairs and homes. I know about the old caves that a certain Nightmare tends to lurk. I know about the Globe of Belief standing at the very heart of it. I know about the feud between him and the Guardians and now Jack.

I narrowed my eyes. He didn't leave, he was _taken_. I let out a shaky breath, eyes beginning to bleed red and, unlike other times, they were dark and filling with a different kind of hate that I had never felt before. All of the rage that I had felt for mankind as a whole was forgotten and all I could think about was what horrible things would happen to Jack if I didn't do something. Yes, I care, I admit it now! I care about Jack. A horribly evil thought laced with hate formed in my mind. If Pitch so much as scratched him, he wouldn't ever crawl out of his hole again; I would make sure of it. If Jack is hurt when I find him, I won't kill Pitch, no, I'll make him _suffer_.

I walked towards the door, hand outstretched and forming my sword. Hatred beginning to pound in my head like a constant drum. I had a bad dream to kill.

* * *

 **Jack's POV:**

I woke up to a pounding headache…or was I still asleep? It was awfully dark but it felt like my eyes were open. I blinked a few times in testing. Yeah, they had to be open; dreams weren't this vivid. I tried to sit up but then it came… _pain_. A lot of pain. Every muscle in my body protested as I attempted to shift into a sitting position, specifically my head, then I found that I couldn't. I tried to pull my wrists up, only to discover that they were bound together, metal digging into them.

Why was I here, more specifically, _where_ was I? It took a few more seconds but then, like a vision, the events of yesterday, or, however long ago it was, played through my memory like a movie; a really sick, twisted movie. I fought against my chains, struggling to free myself from them but the more I did, the tighter they seemed to get. There was something gritty blocking my mouth; was that… _sand_?! I let out a muffled groan of frustration; this was basically the exact same thing I had to go through will Ella, only worse.

The area around me was damp and if I weren't the personification of winter itself, I would probably say it was cold too. I was laying on a hard stone floor, the smell of dew lingering in the air and there was no light whatsoever. Then, I heard footsteps.

"Well, look who's awake." His voice mocked.

I yelled out in anger at him, though all that came out was a muffled sound, and all I seemed to be succeeding at was making him smile. I couldn't see him but I knew he was still there, enjoying himself immensely.

This…well, to say that it sucked, would be a major understatement. In my whole three hundred years as a spirit, the only two times I'm ever abducted land in roughly the same week. Ironic, isn't it? I breathed heavily, my eyes still trying to adjust to the darkness around me but having no luck in doing so. Ella was probably going to send an Ice Age soon if she didn't figure out what had really happened to me. What would she do if she did find out? Would she just leave me to my fate or try to find a way to get me out? This only proves Ella's point, that the world is heartless and cruel, but it's not! Well, _most_ of it isn't. I turned my attention back to the sound of shadows moving around me.

"You should've stayed with your friends Jack." He lit a match, then placed it into a torch on the wall and I squinted at the sudden light. "Too bad you'll be dead before any of them find you."

My heart skipped a beat; dead?! He sounded playful but at the same time there was no hint of joking in his voice; he was going to kill me!

This only caused my eyes to widen as I struggled more against the shackles. Not that I didn't have faith in my fellow Guardians but the likelihood that Pitch would have left me showing on the globes, would be slim and Ella…I don't think she's going to be the one to find me. She probably wouldn't care, I took away practically any hope she might have had all those years ago. All I can hope for is that she doesn't do anything rash because of me.

The shadowy man, if you could even consider him human, stood before me, laughing his heart out at my current situation. I stopped struggling, knowing it was probably what was causing him to laugh in victory, and glared at him.

"My, my, You know, if it weren't for your friends, I probably wouldn't have known you were ever missing in the first place." He started. "Some family."

If anything could have caused a more hateful look than I already had on, it was that. Sure, they weren't the greatest family lately but that comment still struck a rather painful nerve.

"Something drew you away from them though, didn't it?" He laughed. "Call it what you want, desire to be alone, a feeling that you didn't belong there…"

' _A girl with serious anger management issues…_ ' I thought.

"…but either way, I suppose none of it will matter now."

I felt a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach that the next moments with him would be my worst moments of all time, or even worse, my last. He had an evil gleam in his eye and, while I had no idea what he was going to do, I did know that I probably wasn't going to like it.

Suddenly, a blast of black dust was sent my way. I tried to move back but I was stuck in one place, leaving the sand to easily nail me straight in the face. I coughed, having inhaled some of it, so hard that tears were starting to form in the corners of my eyes.

After my coughing fit was over, I opened my eyes, throwing an angry stare in his direction. He laughed and my eyelids began to feel heavy, likely from the sand he just threw in my face, and then…I knew nothing.

* * *

 **Jack: *angry* Just how many times are you going to make me go unconscious in this story?!**

 **Me: I can't make future events happen if I don't!**

 **Ella: *stifling giggles* I'm not complaining.**

 **Jack: *glares***

 **Me: Sorry, but if it doesn't happen like it is, then I can't set you and Ella up to ki-*covers mouth***

 **Ella: O.O How was that sentence going to end?!**

 **Jack: O.O What?!**

 **Me: You can't prove anything!*runs away***


End file.
